Mixed Signals
by Jessica-X
Summary: Celica Yayoi has spent her adult life nursing a drinking problem, all the while swearing she has it under control.  This is shown to be false one morning when she wakes up in Accela Warrick's bed... WARNING: F/. :COMPLETE:
1. Chapter 1

**MIXED SIGNALS**  
A Solty Rei fanficiton  
by Jessica X

* * *

ATTENTION: LOCATIONS AND PERSONS © YOSHIMASA HIRAIKE/GONZO; STORY © JESSICA X.  
BIOHAZARD: KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. TV-MA [VSLD]  
CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN F/.

* * *

o o o PROLOGUE o o o

Once upon an eon, not long before the rogue core computers Eunomia and Eirene came within a hair's breadth of annihilating life as we know it, there were four women employed by the Reestablishment Universe Committee. They were members of a unique and highly-secretive law enforcement unit; each one held a secret power within their bodies that set them apart. They had since the catastrophic Blast Fall that bred fear and discontent within the populace, during which they were mere children; an event shrouded in mystery. Over their many years toiling within the same program, these women became a close-knit group of comrades. Perhaps even friends.

This is a story lost to time...  
...about two of the four.

o o o CHAPTER ONE o o o

"So, coming over for dinner tonight?"

"Hm?"

"I asked if you were coming by for dinner," Accela Warrick repeated as she leaned over to see around her terminal. "It's a pretty simple question."

Celica Yayoi stretched, catlike, and leaned back in her chair as far as it would go. Accela laughed; she knew one day her coworker would tip it too far and topple. A deep warmth bubbled up from within almost every time she looked over at the bronze-skinned girl who had one year and one inch on her; she honestly couldn't imagine life without her. They had all been shunted into the Proceed program after the Blast Fall - the two of them, Sylvia Ban, Integra Martel, and all those other kids who had fallen through the cracks. Twelve years... it's a long time to know anybody, and even longer to know them without forming bonds. She might get along with all of the members of RUC's elite police force, but Celica was different; they were best friends. Inseparable.

"Sure, I guess so. What are we having?"

Accela shrugged. "Mushroom risotto and veal scallopini."

"What's with the Italian theme? We doing gelato for dessert, too?"

"Maybe we are, maybe we aren't. Will it stop you from coming?"

Celica grinned sleepily. "Hell no."

"Okay, ladies," Sylvia announced as she stalked into the office, hands on hips. "Enough slacking, back to work."

"There can _never_ be enough slacking," Celica contradicted.

o o o

The day passed in a flurry of the routine; a few crooks needed apprehending, and were apprehended. Such was life with the RUC's Special Security Division. Integra and Sylvia were the true workaholics, but Celica and Accela always put in their fair share. And, as usual, when the director stopped by at the end of the day for their report, Sylvia was flustered beyond necessity and stuttered half of her responses. This was mostly what they talked about on the way to the grocery store; the topic was so juicy that it lasted through the shopping and all the way home.

"Yeah, but she's never going to catch his attention if she keeps tripping all over herself like that," Celica said as they walked along at a leisurely pace. "Lynx is all business. If Sylvia never comes right out and announces what she's after, things aren't going to move forward."

"I think she knows that," Accela sighed, redoubling her grip on the plastic bags. "But she's too shy to be so direct."

"Amen, sister. I just hope one day she grows a pair and grabs for that brass ring, or we'll be throwing little pity parties for her until we retire."

Up the steps they went to Accela's apartment. Celica checked her email and watched the news while Accela got dinner set up; occasionally she would offer to pitch in, but she truly was all thumbs when it came to cooking so unless Accela asked she kindly stood aside so their meal would still turn out edible.

"Here," Accela said as she entered the living room, offering Celica a glass of wine. "A taste of your purchase."

"Now we're talking! Hey, aren't you having any?"

"I'll take mine with dinner. It'll be ready in about ten minutes."

"Cool."

It was delicious, as always. Privately, Celica was jealous of her friend's proficiency in the kitchen; she'd kill for half that talent around a stove. Alas, she highly doubted the day would ever come when she could prepare anything more complicated than instant ramen. As the evening wore on, Celica broke out some harder liquor she'd had stashed in her bag and they began partying in earnest.

"So Integra really sleeps with a nightlight?"

"Sure does," Celica cackled, pouring more booze down her throat. "I've seen it; I can't figure it out, she's so damn imposing in every other aspect of her life, but she's too afraid of the dark to sleep. Isn't it a riot?"

Accela frowned, but the smile lingered; it was too funny for her to stamp it out entirely. "It's sad, I think; we shouldn't be hard on her about it. Some people can't get over those childhood fears so easy."

"Eh, don't be so sensitive. She rides us so hard at work that she deserves a taste of her own medicine."

"Celica-"

"Enough about that," she laughed, stumbling away from the table and back to the living room. "I'll beat you at Dune Race 3 again if you're game."

"Oh, yeah right - you are _SO_ on!"

o o o

Celica woke in the morning with no idea of where she was or how she got there. Vague memories of the evening prior flashed through her mind; drinking, games, more drinking. What else? But nothing would come to her. This usually happened when she hit the bottle that hard. Still, she wished she could recall where she had ended up...

When she rolled over, she got her answer as her arm draped over Accela's body.

_Whoa,_ she thought to herself, her eyes bulging as the lingering remnants of sleep vanished. _What DID happen last night?_

Quickly, as per her police training, she took stock: she was wearing nothing but underwear, and so was Accela. The redhead smiled dreamily at feeling the slight, impromptu embrace, though she did not wake. Lots of drinking...

_Crap - maybe there IS such a thing as too much liquor!_

Uncertainly, she moved her legs and felt another smooth pair against hers. It wasn't horrible, exactly; it had been a few weeks since Celica had had an "adult encounter" with anybody, and then it had just been some loser she met in a bar. She'd been a little lonely for some human contact, to be sure, but she was worried about what this meant. Try as she might, no clearer details from the previous evening would dare to come back to her. Which meant they could have done just about anything.

_But Accela wouldn't have. She's straight, right? And so am I... well, when I'm sober. Enough alcohol in me and I'll do anything that sounds good in the heat of the moment, even if it's the stupidest idea there ever was._

Her good friend and coworker rolled over at that moment and nuzzled against Celica's face. It did feel nice - so sweet and innocent, though there could be any number of not-so-innocent reasons why they were in bed together in the first place. This wasn't the first time they'd cuddled, either... but it was the least-clothed cuddling they'd done by far.

Celica made the decision at last to stay like that until her friend woke up. Maintain status quo instead of freaking out or jumping to conclusions. Ten minutes passed, fifteen. Celica's heart began to pound and her temples grew damp; she willed herself to just go back to sleep - and the pounding hangover headache requested this course of action, as well - but there was nothing doing. She was too nervous for sleep to be attainable.

_It feels so awesome,_ she thought guiltily. _It always has, everytime before it did, too. But we're practically naked under this sheet. Isn't this kind of weird?_ With a slight swallow, she let her hand rove down Accela's smooth stomach. _She's in top condition, like the rest of us; you gotta be to stay employed by RUC Security. Mm, those abs..._

What kind of a thought was that to have? Was there just enough alcohol left in her system to conjure up these atypical notions? Accela was her friend - that's it, just that and no more. There was no reason to be jittery just because they woke up snuggling. Or that's what she was trying to tell herself.

"Hmnh?"

Immediately, Celica moved her hand back to her chest, but overshot and cupped one of the palmable little breasts that belonged to her coworker. _CRAP!_ She had just enough time to realize how soft they were before she forced her hand to slide down and off, landing on her ribs. _Ohh, if only I weren't so sleep-deprived and hung over that wouldn't have happened. Geez, isn't my Proceed ability supposed to be deadly accuracy, yet I mistake her boobs for her... not-boobs?_

"Celica?"

"Morning, sweetheart," Celica said in light tones, trying for joviality. She hoped. What if this morning really _did_ call for a word like "sweetheart"?

"Morning," Accela mumbled, reaching up to pet Celica's cheek. The deep green eyes peering up and into hers sparkled in the early sunlight, yet were obviously still clouded by the drowsiness she hadn't the chance to shake off yet. "Hey, what's with the clinginess?"

"Sorry," Celica said as she rolled off, staring up at the ceiling and willing her pulse back to normal. "Woke up like that. How... did you sleep?"

"Not bad," she sighed, rubbing at her face as she sat up. Yes, there was the bra. Maybe the fact that they were clothed instead of bare-ass meant that nothing had happened... or it hadn't progressed to the point of total nudity. Which was still a positive thing, even if it wasn't quite as comforting. "God, what did we do last night?"

"You tell me." Her laugh was far from carefree, but she hoped it wasn't noticeable - at least not to the half-asleep officer rubbing at her eyes.

"Your head must be pounding," Accela laughed as she smiled down at her friend, one fist still in one eye. "Seriously, I'm worried about your liver."

Celica grinned back. So far, so platonic. "I'll just get a Resemble liver. No huge thing."

"It is, though." The crease in her brow told Celica that her friend was genuinely worried. "You do this every time you come over here... do you do it at home, too?"

"What, drink myself blind? Yeah, pretty much. But I always down lots of water to flush it out in the morning, and then I do my exercises. It's not like I'm going to kill myself."

"Hmm." Then Accela hopped out of bed, and Celica's eyes were drawn to the newly-revealed panties. _Good, those are there, too; maybe this is nothing. Or maybe it's a whole lot of something but I can do some damage control to keep it from getting worse._ "Well, we only have an afternoon shift today, so no rush. Do you need to borrow some clothes?"

"Eh, 'sokay. I can go in as is."

"What, in your undies?" she laughed. "I don't think so."

"Gah, you know what I meant."

"Okay, okay. Want to grab a shower?"

Celica grinned a devious grin; now for a little test. "Is that a proposition?"

"Stupid," Accela laughed again; such a musical laugh, never loud or raucous. Just lilting and refined. Like the rest of her. "You can have the first turn, I'll put a pot of coffee on while I wait."

So they weren't at the "showering together" stage yet, at any rate. Therefore, Celica smiled and said, "Okie dokie" and slipped into the bathroom.

_God,_ she thought as she lathered herself up. _No clues other than the presence of underwear and her resistance to sharing a bath. Still, this is good, this I can work with. Even if we did... something insane, obviously she's not suddenly picking out china patterns or whatever. Now I just have to deduce what happened. But how?_

"So those were some pretty fantastic moves you put on me last night," Accela announced as she rejoined her in the bathroom.

"What?" she burst out. Then, clearing her throat, she said in a calmer voice, "Oh, y-yeah. What are you doing?"

"Bringing you your clothes," she said, as if confused as to why Celica couldn't figure that out by herself. "And laying out mine, too. You need some help in there?"

Celica could feel her heart fall to her feet. "Um... what did you have in mind?"

"I could scrub your back, if you need me to."

So many mixed signals. _She doesn't even sound flustered about it,_ she mused as she contemplated her answer. _So either nothing happened at all and she's just trying to be nice... or she's so chill about our potentially-nonfictional drunken hookup that she's ready to bask in our brand new domestic bliss. Should I just bite the bullet and ask?_

But she couldn't bring herself to ask outright. Part of her knew it would be the easiest way, but she couldn't help worrying that if she did so, Accela might get the wrong idea and start thinking Celica _wished_ for the relationship to take a turn for the strange. The last thing she wanted was to make a big deal over nothing and create a problem that hadn't existed in the first place.

"Sure, why not?"

Accela chuckled softly. "Wow, didn't think you'd take me up on it; I was only offering to be nice."

"Hey, no sweat; if you don't want to, I'm not going to twist your arm."

"No, no, it's okay." So sweet, so earnest. "Back up to the door and hand me the washcloth and soap."

It occurred to Celica as she obeyed that if Accela had offered to do this for her yesterday, either here or in the showers at RUC, it wouldn't have bothered her. Maybe they'd have earned some good-natured ribbing from Sylvia, but otherwise it wouldn't have shook the world. Now, however, she found her heart was pounding in her throat, her mouth dry despite the running water and steam. When Accela's hands touched her back, she jumped, and the hands disappeared.

"What? What is it?"

"N-nothing," she assured her friend. "Go ahead, I'll keep still."

As her back was being scrubbed, she chewed on the inside of her lip. _Any minute now, she could start soaping my front instead,_ she fretted. _One hand could move up to cup my... and the other one downward to... shit, what am I gonna do if THAT happens?_

But it didn't. Accela's touch was gentle and loving, but it strayed no farther than the area of her back. True, Celica felt a touch more distressed when she felt the washcloth rubbing at her backside, but it stopped before it could reach somewhere yet more invasive. Just as she began to relax against the treatment, Accela sighed and said, "There, you're done. Ready to hop out? I'll hop in after you."

"Oh." Was she? She'd been so filled to the brim with dark, undesirable thoughts that she hadn't paid much attention to her washing. "Uhh, yeah, I think I'm finished after I rinse. So... so I'm coming out."

"Okay, I'll alert the media," Accela said sarcastically. "Hurry up so I don't waste too much water between the showers."

Fair point, definitely, but Celica felt so nervous that she took a few more seconds rinsing off than necessary to delay her exit. _We're going to be naked together for a minute. Well, we have been so many times, in the locker room, when getting geared up for combat in the Power Suits. But this... seems different._

"Come on!"

"Alright, alright, keep your shirt on - or don't, I guess, since you're about to bathe." Celica took a deep breath, putting on her most nonchalant face, and pushed open the door.

Accela was definitely bare from head to toe, but hanging between their bodies was a towel held open by both hands. As Celica stepped forward, it was gingerly wrapped around her, and she took it under her own arms. "There you go. Now, you want to return the favor?"

"Favor?" she asked, struggling to keep her eyes from the pale, shapely body next to hers. "What favor?"

"Scrub my back," Accela snorted, eyebrows knitting together. "Seriously, you must have one monster hangover this morning. I wish you'd tone it down a little."

"Sorry," Celica said with a grunt of relief. But she couldn't stop herself from staring at the smooth, exposed skin of her friend as she walked past and stepped into the shower. "I, uh, I know. I'll work on it, I promise."

"Good." As Celica hastily dried herself with the towel, Accela turned this way and that until she was well-moistened, then said, "Okay, wash me."

Before she could think, Celica had a rag and soap in her hands, and Accela's naked back in front of her. Why did she have to do this when she was feeling so skittish about what may or may not have transpired in the night? Idly, she reached up and traced a finger along the line in the center of her friend's back, feeling it squeak due to the water...

"Hey, cut that out!" she giggled. "Just start scrubbing, I want to get breakfast going soon."

"Roger that," Celica said and began soaping up the other girl's skin. This was getting stupid; all the things they were doing were normal, even if a tiny bit out of the ordinary. Friends helped friends out like this. _So neither of us is coming on to the other person so far,_ she thought. _And I do feel a little off about scrubbing her back right now, but it's only because of the way I woke up. No crisis situation. It's fine._

"Umm, Celica, I think I can wash my own thighs."

"_Omigod!_" she burst out, nearly dropping the rag. "Sorry, I'm so sorry, I dunno, I just- I got carried away."

"Really?" she said, turning to gaze at her friend out of the corner of her eye. "If you get any more carried away than that, you'll have to ask me to marry you. Now if you can give me back that rag then you can finish drying off, okay?"

"Okay - oh, here." Once Accela had the rag and the soap back, the door was shut and Celica could breathe a quiet sigh of relief. That had been weird with a beard, but nothing bad had happened. Nothing kinky, at least.

_It's all good in the neighborhood,_ she told herself as she finished drying and slipped into the previous night's ensemble. _That crack about marrying her - I'm sure it was just a joke. There was no naughty suggestion to it, like she was trying to get me to go any further. Not that I could hear. So we're fine. Right?_

Nobody answered her silent questions, even though she kept dwelling on them as she poured herself a cup of coffee. But that wasn't a big problem. The more she debated, the more she decided they must have just fallen asleep in the same bed. But why had she been in her underwear?

_Too warm in the apartment? It's freezing in here, now. Strip poker? Nah, it's no fun with two people - unless they're both of the opposite sex. What could it be?_

And there was another thought that reasserted itself, causing her blood to turn icy cold. She'd tried something out on Accela. That's what she'd said: "So those were some pretty fantastic moves you put on me last night." What sort of moves? Dance moves? Or... "night moves"? She'd almost forgotten about the brief, innocent phrase with having to scrub her friend's back, and she found herself wishing desperately that she had. That one little accusation cast such a dark shadow over their evening...

Soon afterward a mostly-dressed Accela joined her and began whipping up some eggs and bacon while Celica sipped at her coffee, glancing out the window and fretting. At long last, once they had eaten and were on their way to work, Accela cleared her throat and asked, "Okay now, let's have it."

"Have what? What are we having? Because I don't think we're having what you think we're having!"

The girl's face said it all: she was utterly perplexed. "Um... Celica, what's up with you? Why are you so jumpy? And you keep saying all this crazy stuff."

"No reason," Celica grunted, kicking at a stone on the path and sending it into the gutter. "Just messing with you. Anyway, what do you want me to have - I mean, did you want to have?"

"The truth, that's all. I want to know what's the matter with you this morning. You seem so, so... tense, I guess. Did I do something wrong?"

Celica frowned. Time to flex her mental muscles and see what she could see while they were not alone, and there was no nudity involved. "No, I don't think so. Not really. It's just... well, I keep thinking about... those _moves_ I put on you."

"Oh," Accela laughed. "Okay, okay, I get it. You're embarrassed."

"I am?"

"Yes. Because you're- well, it's one of those 'I have a reputation' things, isn't it? But you don't have to worry about me letting the cat out of the bag. Your secret's safe with me."

Celica almost stumbled and fell into a mailbox. "Are you- seriously, Accela? Are you freaking serious with this, you're not pulling my leg?"

"Uhh... nope."

"Okay," she said, taking deep breaths. "This is... new, and weird, but I can deal. It's a modern age, right? Right."

The look on Accela's face very clearly expressed the opinion that she thought Celica was hopped up on painkillers. "_Riiight._ Are you sure you don't want to drop off for a hangover pill before we head into work?"

"Just... okay, first thing's first. It's like at work; we gotta deal with the top priority." She stopped dead still, turned and grasped Accela's shoulders, staring deep into her eyes. "You sure you won't let slip? Any of it?"

"Celica, come on, what is this? Don't be so hyper-sensitive, it's no-"

"You have to keep it under your hat," she pleaded. "I... let me deal with my demons for a while, but for now, not a word to _anyone_. Can you promise me that?"

"Sure, I promise, but-"

"Thanks," she sighed, relieved - or as relieved as she was going to get in the near future. "I... oh, I know that shouldn't matter so friggin' much, but it'll make me breathe a whole lot easier."

Accela giggled. "Yeah. Whatever you need, Celica; you know I'm always here for you. Even when you're a little bit psycho."

Now all Celica had to do was figure out if she could really deal with a relationship like this... or if she should quit the RUC, move to some convent on the outskirts of town and start making her own t-shirts out of hemp.

o o o TO BE CONTINUED o o o

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Very well, go on, say it: "Jessex, you promised you were leaving the fanfiction community behind! What gives?" What gives is me: I give the joy of unlicensed tales lurking just behind the veil of what is shown to us through movies, books and television. And I'm sure I'll be doing it until the end of time. Whether I feel like it or not. I can't help myself. I AM POWERLESS, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

This cheery little fic is focused on a pairing I've dubbed "Celly"; it's Accela Warrick and Celica Yayoi from the excellent anime series _SoltyRei _(which I'm sure you've sussed by now). Purely based on the fact that Celica is always dropping by Accela's for dinner, just the two of them, I had to wonder what else they were doing while in each other's company – and thus, in the usual fashion, a femmeslash was born. In the weeks to come, be ready for sensuality, angst, verbal sparring, and some mushy WAFF scenes. Also, a flash-forward type of deal. Whee!

*clears throat* You may be under the impression that there is a somewhat more _risque_ version of this story floating out there in cyberspace. Officially, you're mistaken. _Officially. _But hypothetically, if there were, it would end up being roughly two chapters longer.

At any rate, I'll pop in periodically to babble about this or that, but until such time I've run out of things to mention. So read on and enjoy, and always be sure to R&R – yes, this means YOU!

_-JX_


	2. Chapter 2

o o o CHAPTER TWO o o o

The daily routine was almost more than Celica could handle. It was on this day, anyway; vandals, kidnappings, a shootout in a corner convenience store. All that on top of her inner turmoil. But they got through it, and she was fleeing HQ, letting out a huge gust of air (and hoping to dispel the tension that went along with it) when Accela caught up to her.

"Celica, hang on," she panted, slightly out of breath.

"Shit, what?" Then she cleared her throat. "I mean, what's up?"

"I thought you were coming over for dinner tonight, too. You're not busy, are you?"

"N- uhh, actually I am," she lied through her teeth. "I mean, gotta get some stuff in order back at the house. No big deal, but I gotta flake on tonight. Raincheck?"

"Sure," Accela said, sounding slightly disappointed. So disappointed that Celica decided to ask, hoping for a few more clues.

"Why? Was there something... special about tonight?"

The redheaded officer shrugged glumly. "Not really, I guess. Just thought we, y'know, could hang out. The usual."

Celica attempted a smile, patting her friend on the shoulder warmly. "Why don't you hang out with Sylvia tonight instead? I mean, she has even less of a life than we do so she's probably free. Go paint the town red with her, maybe see if you can badger Integra into coming along. They're a fun bunch with a few martinis in them. I'll catch up with you in the morning."

"But it's not the same kind of fun I can have with you," she protested. "You know what I mean, right?"

This was the point where Celica felt her pulse quicken. "No, not really. What's... so special about me?" But there was such a pleading, watery look in Accela's crystal-clear eyes that she instantly regretted asking. "D-don't- I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, I'm sorry, but-"

"You really don't know? Come on, I... after all these years I figured it went without saying. But I guess not."

"Accela," she whispered, feeling her face growing warmer than she would have liked for it to, "listen. Don't get me wrong, you really are my best friend, but let's not go reevaluating everything!"

Now Accela seemed more satisfied, but simultaneously a touch confused. "Reevaluating? What are you talking about? Of course we're best friends. I was standing here, thinking you'd somehow missed the memo."

"Oh, okay." Celica took a deep breath. "Sorry. That was... I dunno, nevermind. See you tomorrow." And she made a hasty exit before she could make an even bigger fool out of herself.

o o o

Two more days passed with Celica blowing Accela off for some undisclosed "business". Each night, Accela spent hours curled in a ball under her bedsheets - not feeling comfortable spending an evening alone with Sylvia, and too intimidated to ask their other coworker to join them - wishing Celica would stop avoiding her after they finished punching the clock. Once upon a time she had convinced herself that living alone in such a big, spacious apartment was a luxurious lifestyle, but now it just felt... lonely. The nights Celica came by for dinner, even if she only stayed an hour or two, were much more tolerable.

_Maybe I should get a pet,_ she thought to herself as she flipped through the channels. _A big, wet-nosed dog to flop down on my feet and keep me company. Yeah. If Celica ever decides I'm worth her time again, maybe we could pick it out together._

But thinking about Celica only made her more depressed. Sighing, she got up to see if there was any dark fudge ice cream left in the freezer...

o o o

_Okay,_ Celica thought to herself at the end of another work shift. _This is it; I've been kicking it around for long enough, and I can't stand looking at Accela's mopey face anymore. Time to face the music._

"Celica!"

"Accela, hey," she said as she yanked on her non-regulation sneakers and shoved her dressy flats into her locker. "God, I'm so glad we're through with all those reports - I can't believe the director dumped all that on us at the last second. Thought we'd be here until Appreciation Day."

"Yeah," she laughed. "Um, so..."

"Hmm?" _Oh, crap,_ she lamented inwardly as she noticed Accela's face. _She's nervous. All she's going to do is ask me to come over for dinner again, but now she's NERVOUS about it. God, why did I have to take so long to get over it?_

"So I'm thinking about whipping up a souffle tonight," she said, staring at her shoes. "If... that doesn't sound good, I can change the menu. But let me know before I go shopping. Unless..." Then her fists clenched as she prepared herself for a big let-down.

"Sounds awesome," Celica said with extra cheeriness. "Can we do one of those super-extravagant side salads you're so famous for?"

The huge grin now lighting up Accela's made the stabbing pain in Celica's heart tinge yet more. "O-of course! Yeah, whatever you want! Did you want the raspberry vinaigrette or something special?"

"Whatever's easiest. I'm sure it'll knock my tastebuds for a loop no matter what." She knew she was laying it on thick, but her friend deserved it.

"Great," she said, clapping her hands. "Okay, I'll adjust my shopping list. You coming with?"

"Nah, I have to see a man about a thingy," she sighed. In point of fact, she had to pick up some liquid courage, but she didn't want Accela judging her vice - or for her to have to even worry about it. "Won't take long; I might even beat you to your place."

Accela was on cloud nine; it was gut-wrenchingly obvious. "Sounds like a date, then. See you!"

"Y-yeah..." But Accela was already gone. Celica clutched at her chest. _DATE? Did she really say that? Maybe she IS into me! This can't be for real, I... I can't go on a date with her! No, hit the brakes, don't be an idiot; it's just an expression, she didn't mean for it to sound like anything. Pull yourself together, Yayoi!_

And pull herself together she did - with the help of a few spirits from the local public house.

o o o

Celica was feeling warm and contented as she waited outside her friend's apartment. There was just enough alcohol sloshing around in the bottom of her stomach to make her feel at peace with the world, but not enough to make her stumble-down soused. After all, she didn't want a repeat of the last time where she was so far gone that the events didn't even commit themselves to memory.

"You did beat me," Accela laughed when she came around the corner, bags and bags of foodstuffs around her wrists. "You wouldn't have if they'd had the laurel leaves I wanted - had to go to two other places before I found them."

"Aw, you didn't have to make that big of a fuss. It's just me."

Accela's lips pursed as she pressed her thumb to the scanner. "None of that, you know how serious I am about my cooking. Do it right or not at all. Now, let's get down to business."

The meal was superb, the company and conversation equally so. On the downside, Accela had considerately picked up another bottle of wine and insisted on pouring most of it into Celica's glass - seemingly to make up for what she assumed had been a too-stern lecture on the perils of drinking following the last occasion they had dined together. Without the several shots she'd had before coming over, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but in combination... things got a little out of hand.

o o o

Celica woke in the morning with no idea of where she was or how she got there. Vague memories of the evening prior flashed through her mind; delicious food, drinking, movies. A lot of talking... and she had this strange, unsettling notion of déjà vu...

_Holy crap - tell me we didn't..._

But when she looked to her right, there was Accela, snoozing away. How could it have happened twice in a row? In her half-awake state, she decided the most important think to deduce first was what truly lay beneath the sheets... and to her immense relief, she saw she was wearing a t-shirt and panties. Even better, Accela was in her nightgown, fully dressed for slumber. An improvement over last time, even if they still ended up sharing a bed.

_But I have no clearer picture of what I did to get myself to this point than I did before,_ she berated herself. _Maybe I should start curtailing my habit just a teensy, weensy bit..._

Briefly, she debated slipping out of bed and heading home without disturbing her friend, but that was unlikely to go over very well; they had the day off. Where did she need to be in a hurry? Leaving a note about some long-lost great-aunt dying would be a huge slap in the face. No, she had to suffer through the morning after and hope things didn't explode and make a mess.

"Hmnh," Accela said as she rolled over and flung her arm around Celica's stomach, face nestling into her armpit. She did not wake.

_Perfect; now I have to cuddle with her, whether I want to or not!_ She tried to make herself go back to sleep or ignore the feeling, but it was completely impossible. It had been forever since she last cuddled with anyone (except Accela) and the feeling was too foreign to pretend it didn't exist. Foreign, and not altogether unwelcome.

_Do I... like this? Am I supposed to like it? I mean, it's one thing when we kind of curl up together on the couch while we watch a movie, but this is in bed, and I'm half-naked... and last time I could feel her legs, and her- her-_

"Hmnh?" The pale, sleepy face was yawning as it rose from her armpit. "Celica? What's going on?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," she whispered gently.

"Mmm," she said blissfully, laying back down, this time her cheek resting upon Celica's shoulder. "This is nice."

"It is? I m-mean, sure it is."

Accela's arm stayed where it was, but tightened, and her leg draped over one of Celica's. "We're lucky that we're this close, I think. There's probably lots of people in this city who don't have a single friend they can be so... unguarded with."

_I think she really does like me,_ Celica couldn't prevent herself from considering. _LIKE-like. How am I going to undo this?_ But there wasn't much she could change at the moment, so she answered honestly. "A damn shame."

When her head rose, her eyes were still half-closed, but her smile was more awake than before, somehow. "You don't think so? That we're lucky?"

"Oh, yeah, we are," she agreed hastily, grinning like a buffoon. Uncertainly, she placed her hand in the middle of Accela's back, and the girl laid back down. "To have a friend like you... I know I am."

"Your heart's pounding."

"Huh?"

Accela's head moved to rest within Celica's ample cleavage, and she twitched, then settled. "Yeah. What's the matter? I wouldn't think your pulse would be up like this so early in the morning."

"I... dunno," she conceded, stumped by this herself. "Guess it could be the alcohol."

"Yeah, that was something else entirely," she sighed as her head returned to its position at her shoulder. "I've never seen you get that drunk off just red wine before."

Celica chewed her lip. "Well, I have a little confession to make: I kind of... pre-gamed."

"You what? Wait - you mean you got drunk before you came over."

"Yeah, that."

"Why?" Now she was propping herself up slightly, though her arm was still around Celica's midsection. "Why do you do that? You don't _need_ all that liquor to have a good time, do you? Or is it... that without it, you can't have a good time... with me?"

"No, no!" she protested, moving her hand up to the base of Accela's neck. What was her hand doing that for? "Don't think- I mean, I like to loosen up when I'm off duty, and some libation aids in the process, that's all. Don't take it personally, please?"

"I want to spend time with _you,_" Accela whispered, a tear forming in the corner of her eye. "Not with what's left of you after you drink yourself into a coma. Can you do that for me next time?"

Celica hesitated before speaking her true feelings. "Well... maybe... maybe I don't think the sober version of me is any fun. Did you ever think of that?" But when she caught the shocked look in her friend's face, she smiled and swept it under the rug. "Kidding. I'm totally jerking your chain. I can dry it up a little for my best gal pal."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"No, I swear I will," she promised, meaning it ten times more now. "You can even switch from wine to grape juice for meals, and we'll drink it out of the wine glasses and pretend we don't know the difference."

"You know what I meant. I don't believe you were kidding." Accela's hand raised up and cupped Celica's cheek, and Celica unconsciously leaned into it for a half-second before she caught herself. It felt nice there - but why was it there to begin with? "Come on, you don't think you're any fun without being intoxicated?"

"Please, don't go there right now. It's nothing, I swear."

"I had such a blast with you last night," she went on doggedly, the tear finally coming loose and zig-zagging its way down her cheek. "But I do every day at the office, too. You're a barrel of laughs no matter what state you're in, so... you don't have to worry about it with me. Because I love you for who you are, not your blood-alcohol level. Okay?"

Celica couldn't dismiss it. She tried, valiantly, to let it pass and just assure her friend that she understood, but what came out of her mouth was, "You... _love_ me?"

"Of course. How could I even begin to imagine life without you?"

"Accela..." She was completely dumbfounded. Didn't this confirm all her worst fears? Yet at the same time, it was like a healing balm, rocketing through her system and touching every cell, filling them to bursting with joy and happiness. There was so much she wanted to say, to ask, but her mind was blank as a new blackboard. What is the appropriate response to something like that? "I..."

"So take better care of yourself," she whispered wetly, thumb moving lightly along her friend's cheek. "Because I'm gonna need you around for a long, long time. Get me?"

With her heart exploding, Celica tried to make herself nod, or to say a word in the affirmative - any word at all would have been good enough, to be honest. But the slight after-effects of the alcohol and her unpreparedness for such a revelation robbed her of her ability to control her own actions to achieve the desired results.

So instead of doing something that made sense, she kissed her.

There was an initial frightened squeak within Accela's throat, and then she went completely still, unable to respond. After their lips made contact and there was no immediate backlash, Celica threw herself into the union blind, every feeling that had welled up due to Accela's vitalizing words gushing out as actions. This was the only way to prove she felt the same, wasn't it? Accela's hand fell limply to her friend's chest as her head was cradled in the strong grip behind it, holding both mouths together. Another hand appeared on her back, clutching wildly, desperately. Accela whimpered again, and Celica let out a sound somewhere between a grunt and an anguished scream. But it wasn't until Accela felt the very tip of a foreign tongue reaching her lips that the fog of confusion lifted, and she fully reacted.

"_What the HELL?_" she shouted, pushing herself backward so hard that she tumbled head-over-heels and landed on the floor.

"_ACCELA!_" Celica yelped, immediately up and clawing her way to the edge of the mattress. "Are you alright, are you hurt?"

"What are you doing?" she asked again as she pushed herself backward until she reached the wall. "What was- why would you do that to me?"

"Do what?" Then she got past her worry over her friend's safety and remembered what had been going on a moment before the clumsy fall. "Uh... I, uh... how should I know?"

"Well if _you_ don't know, then who does?"

As the seconds stretched on, Celica started to absorb the implications of her own actions. She'd kissed Accela. Not even a kiss that could be shrugged off as a little peck between friends - a real one, a deep one full of passion. But where on earth had the passion come from?

"Are you even going to answer me?"

"I don't know, okay?" she said, squeezing her head with one hand as she clutched the edge of the mattress with the other. "It's... we were holding each other, and you said you loved me, and... it was just a reaction."

Accela let out a weak laugh as her hand went to her chest. "That was some reaction!"

"Nobody's ever said that to me before. Not like that... just my parents, and not like that."

"Like what? Did you- come on, did you think I was telling you I..." She let out such a gasp that Celica wondered if her lungs would pop from the sudden influx of air. "_No WAY!_"

"Wait, just wait a freaking minute!" Celica burst out, sitting back on her feet. "Don't try to turn this around on me! You were telling me how much fun we were having, and- and the last time! Yeah, the morning after last time, you said I had spent all night putting some moves on you, and you sounded cool with it! Then later, you said I would be embarrassed and that my 'secret' was safe! So I figured... I don't know!"

"You put moves on me? Wait..." Accela's face was beginning to look less than enthused about the whole situation. "Let me see if I get this. You don't even remember what you did that night at all, do you?"

It was time to face up to her own hindrances. "I don't. Is that what you want to hear? I got so drunk that I can't even remember. And I wish I could, but it's too late now."

"Well, let me set you straight on something." Slowly, she stood, chest heaving as she braced against the wall for stability. "You didn't try any moves like the one you did a minute ago. When I said that, I meant in the video game."

"Video game?"

"Dune Race 3! Tell me you at least remember playing it, even just a little!"

Now she could. With Accela's prompting, she could revive flashes of guiding the digitized car around the curves with effortless ease, thanks to her Proceed ability. "Moves." First place every time. "Dune Race 3."

Accela scowled. "And you know how you want to maintain this reputation of being 'super cool', so you're always afraid somebody's going to find out what a gaming nut you are and label you a nerd. Which is why we always hide the games when Sylvia and Integra come over."

"Oh..."

"What, 'oh'? Is that it? Now that you realize we didn't get drunk and... and do unspeakable things, that's all you have to say?"

"What do you _want_ me to say?" she snapped, at her wit's end from trying to deal with all these new problems. "That I'm sorry? Okay, yeah, I'm sorry! I am dead freaking sorry about all of it! But when you said... when you told me you..."

"What?" Accela's jaw dropped, and she swayed for a moment. "Now hold on just a minute. You're not going to try to twist _my_ words around! All I meant was that we're friends, just good friends! I'm not one of those girls!"

"One of _who_ girls? You think I am? Hell no, I am not one of them!" But she knew the level of redness in her cheeks wouldn't support this claim, so she said, "That wasn't- I didn't mean to kiss you, or anything, I didn't! I'm not into you like that, I swear!"

There was a distinct frostiness in Accela's voice when she said, "Could have fooled me."

"No, no, this wasn't supposed to- I thought _you_ were into _me,_ and I've been so worried about it that-" But she broke off, realizing that she was ranting and raving. "Um... I... oh God, I'm so sorry, I can't believe what I did..."

"Neither can I," she hissed, glancing around as if worried there were casual observers in the apartment looking down on the two of them. "God, just thinking about it - how can I ever look at you again?"

And now there was an entirely new facet of this encounter that reared up and slapped Celica in the face: she might lose Accela. All at once, her heart felt like it was made of lead, like it was no longer able to fuel her body properly; her head swam. "No... wait, please don't do that to me, I- you can't be like that, not when you just told me-"

"That's when I thought we trusted each other, that we were on the same page! But if you're going to start... _forcing_ yourself on me-"

"I won't!" she promised fervently. It wasn't too late - it couldn't be. They could banish this incident and start fresh. Celica clung to that hope as she leaned forward, reaching a hand toward her friend, imploring. "Never again, ever - I didn't even intend to do it this time! There won't be anything else to worry about, we'll be fine! You gotta believe me!"

"How can I when I can still feel your tongue on my lips?"

The starkness of that statement was followed by a weighty silence as they alternately stared at each other and then away. Celica couldn't help but now feel that she had broken something too fragile to be repaired. She had done it - she had done it with her own hands, with her own mouth. "But wait... this isn't... this isn't happening, this can't be happening!"

"Well, I'm pretty sure it already happened! God, can't you ever just stop and think for a moment before you do something?"

That wasn't fair. A tiny corner of Celica's brain cried out that it wasn't fair, because she'd spent a lot of time thinking before she reacted. Two days, to be precise - two days full of wrestling with the problem. But the rest of her mind now understood there had been no "problem" at all; it was all in her head. Crashing at her friend's place and showering there was normal, unless you read something darker into it. "Some pretty fantastic moves" could mean anything - she was the one who _chose_ to interpret it as sexual. So it was entirely possible that Accela had in no way contributed to this dilemma.

Perhaps Celica was just plain screwed up.

"Okay," she sighed, angry at the catch in her voice. "I'm going now, then."

"Oh, that's even better," Accela snapped. "Run away from trouble, like you usually do. Sometimes you're so strong, but other times-"

"I'm weak," she finished for her as she began jerking on the jeans she had found on the floor. "Weak and pathetic, and stupid. So, _sooo_ stupid..."

Accela now released the wall to take a step forward. "Wait... so you're really going before we can finish hashing this out? You're just going to- to plant one on me and leave me to deal with it by myself?"

"Yes."

"But that's not right! That has to be the absolute _worst_ thing you could do to me!"

"Maybe I don't trust myself!" The shouting rang within the small room as both girls stood perfectly still. "Maybe I can't figure out why I did this in the first place, so I don't want to- to... geez, what if I suddenly start crawling all over you? No, I should get out of here, I should... I need to think about this. Figure out what's wrong with me."

There was a distinct desperation creeping into Accela's tone. "Celica-"

"I'll call you."

And within minutes, Celica Yayoi was out the door and down the street.

o o o TO BE CONTINUED o o o


	3. Chapter 3

o o o CHAPTER THREE o o o

Contrary to her promise, Celica did very little thinking. A twenty-four hour bender began the moment she blew out the door and ended in the wee hours of the following morning when she returned home and passed out. As usual, her good friend alcohol was always there to numb the pain she was too frightened to deal with head-on, so the intermittent thinking she did between shots of this and pints of that brought her no closer to a breakthrough than she was before. On top of that, her killer hangover made her late for work in the morning, and she received a severe dressing-down from her superior officer, Integra Martel.

"What have I told you about all this?" Integra demanded. "For pity's sake, I can still smell peppermint schnapps on your breath!"

"No, you can't," Celica groaned from behind her sunglasses. "That's my toothpaste. Don't be so melodramatic."

Integra sighed wearily. "Well, take a seat. You'll be on report duty today while the rest of us pretend we're Special Security Divison, because I refuse to place an officer in the field who's not at the peak of performance."

"Roger, Chief. Desk jockey. I'll do my best."

Sylvia snickered. "I doubt it, you lush. But try not to mess anything up so bad it sets us back three days - like after last Appreciation Day. Remember? All those-"

"I remember, I remember. Leave me alone, okay?"

Once everyone had exited to man the mobile response vehicles, Celica slumped against her terminal. This was great. Her personal life was beginning to bleed into her work. All she wanted was to go home and sleep.

"So this is how it's going to be now, huh?"

Celica jumped, gaping at Accela across the table from her. "Y-you- I thought you left with the others!"

"I stayed behind to have a word with you. I do still have that right, don't I?"

Now she collapsed back into her seat, leaning too far back. "It's a free city."

"What are you doing, what it this? You told me you were going to try to dry out a little, and now you come in positively _reeking_ of booze. Are you just going to drink until you die?"

"Maybe I will," she said defiantly. "It's my right as a registered citizen to spend my off-hours however I want. Even if it kills me."

Now Accela did stand, eyes narrowed. "Good luck with that, then."

She was nearly at the door, steps hurried and efficient, when Celica whispered, "Wait."

"Why should I?"

"I'm..." But what words could have any real effect? She knew there was plenty she wanted to say, to try and convince her friend that she was still exactly that: a friend. However, what little came to her sounded trite and prosaic. "I'm sorry."

"You know what, Celica? You are. You really, really are." With that parting gibe, she left.

It was about twenty minutes before Celica could stop crying enough to get to work on the reports.

o o o

_It's been a week,_ Accela Warrick thought to herself as she wandered through the aisles at the supermarket. _Every morning, Celica shows up at RUC Headquarters a few minutes late, and she always smells like whiskey. And she won't talk to me. Well, that's not true; she tells me to stay out of it, then tries to say something else, then tells me to forget it. But she won't REALLY open up. Am I... losing her?_

This thought brought up a whole other batch of worries. What did she mean when she worried about "losing" Celica? As a friend? Or as something deeper than a friend?

There could be no comfortably denying outright that she'd felt something when they kissed. Not that she wanted anything of the kind. She liked having such a dependable best friend, someone who could come over and hang out and be sociable, who she could trust with her innermost thoughts and hardships. But Celica seemed to desire more. Oh, she denied it, made a big stink about not meaning to force anything deeper, but Accela wasn't that naive; she'd felt her lips, heard her frenzied heartbeat beforehand. Her frantic attempts to backpedal were probably only because Accela hadn't been open-minded enough to join her in pursuing an alternate lifestyle. She didn't want anything of the kind. Period.

That didn't mean she enjoyed watching her best friend suffer. It tore her to ribbons inside. But there was nothing she could do until Celica could grow up and accept their friendship as it was, without pressing for some ugly perversion of it. Nothing but suffer along with her, from afar.

"Hello again!"

Accela smiled when she noticed the person calling to her; it was that green-haired girl, the one who always dressed in orange spandex. "Oh, hello. Fancy running into you here! What are you after?"

"I am hoping to prepare something extra special tonight," she said, cheeks glowing. "Something with potatoes!"

"Ahh, I see," she giggled. "Have you thought about chives? They usually complement potatoes quite nicely."

Giant green eyes blinked. "What are 'chives'?"

Accela's impromptu shopping assistance was a salve for her aching soul. This odd girl had bumped into her on more than one occasion, and asked for her advice several times as well. Wasn't it fun to have someone to chat with, someone completely removed from the work situation, or the... other situation? They both parted ways in the parking lot, and Accela tottered home, a lightness in her heart that hadn't been present before. She scarcely thought of her troubles with her coworker... and when she did, she felt more resigned to let things run their course. Why work herself into a fury? Celica was obviously going through something, and she'd be there for her when she needed it. Until then, all she could do was step back and wait to be approached.

o o o

"Another one, Bob."

Bob frowned at his customer. "Are you sure? That's the fifth one tonight. Maybe want me to start cutting 'em with cola?"

"Straight up, pops," Celica mumbled, pounding the counter with her fist. "Let's go, lemme have it."

While the bartender was busy pouring her drink and shaking his head, a tall, lean man with tousled red hair leaned his back against the bar. "Hey, baby. What's so horribly wrong in this crazy world that a pretty thing like you is drinking alone tonight?"

"Everything." Her drink arrived, and she swallowed half of it in one gulp. "My life's a total vacuum of horrors. What's it to ya?"

"Well, I figured we could go someplace and... discuss it. A little one-on-one therapy session."

Celica let out a bark of laughter. "That's funny. You wanna hook up with me, and you don't even care that I'm sitting here in pain. Just as long as I'm a warm body."

"Don't even have to be warm, really." When she cocked an eyebrow, he laughed. "That was a joke. You've heard of those before, right? No, I dig everything you got to offer, pain and all - and you look like you could use a good roll in the hay." Perhaps because she started growling, he held up both hands and inched away from her, but was no less at ease with himself than before. "Whoa, don't be like that. All I'm offering is some cold comfort, a distraction; we both get what we're after, no strings. Say no if you want... but I don't think you do."

Twenty minutes later found them getting awfully hot and bothered in a seedy motel room nearby. Half of her clothes were already on the floor and she was working on his, hands frenzied, lips mashing into his as she panted.

_I think he had me dead to rights,_ she thought as she jerked his shirt the rest of the way open, ripping buttons from their places. _I do need this. God, this feels amazing - how long has it been?_

He was aroused. Probably had been before they got inside the room, even, the perverted scum. But perverted scum was what she required on such a night; someone who made no bones about what they were doing, who just wanted to sate his primal urges with a willing companion. Both of them would climax, both of them would leave satisfied, and both of them would probably never see each other again. Simple, beautiful, and functional.

But as he slowly kissed between her thighs, building to the moment when he would start on what lay within, she watched his head bobbing... and noticed his hair was red. Unwillingly, she was reminded of the last redhead she had been so bodily close to.

"Accela..."

"Huh?" the man said, sitting up. "You say somethin', babe?"

"Nah," she grunted, rubbing her own chest through her brassiere. "Keep at it, loverboy; you're doing well so far."

"Thanks," he laughed, going back to his actions. But now she couldn't stop thinking of Accela. Why? At first, the thoughts weren't too unseemly; just wondering what she was out there doing, if she was okay, if she was lonely. She determinedly forced her mind back to the pleasure at hand, watching this chiseled chunk of man-flesh going at her, touching her, making her feel sparks... except that he wasn't.

Not half the sparks she'd felt from kissing her best friend.

Now, as his hand gently eased against her through the thin fabric, her brain was so unkind as to conjure up memories of her lips against Accela's, their legs rubbing together, her hands on her wet, naked back in the shower. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes from the dismay of being forced to watch those scenes play over and over in her mind as she was being touched so intimately. Couldn't they wait until she and the guy from the bar were finished?

"Oh, that's so good," the guy grunted as he moved the cotton aside, face inches away; she could feel his hot breath. He was closing the distance...

_"STOP!"_

Then she was on her feet, arms wrapped around her stomach.

"What?" he sputtered, surprised. "I... hang on, what's the matter?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized earnestly, passing a hand through her sweat-dampened hair. "Seriously, guy. I... I mean, I came up here, thinking I could do this, I really did, but now... God, I don't know what's wrong with me."

He let out one of those half-amused, half-shocked laughs. "Okay, so... what, wasn't I doing it right? You seemed to be appreciating it so far."

"No, don't get the wrong idea," she said kindly, picking up her button-down white shirt and pulling it on. "This really doesn't have anything to do with how good you are. Because so far as I can tell, you have some mad skills, and you're a total hottie, but... I don't think this is gonna happen. I really am sorry."

"Wait a damn minute." He stood now, gesturing to the endowment beneath his well-cut jeans. "Maybe you suddenly aren't up for having some fun, but come on... don't leave me hangin'."

"Kinda gotta," she laughed. "Sex is like, the last thing I feel like doing all of a sudden. It'd just suck."

He smirked at her. "I wouldn't mind that."

Celica had been reaching for her purse, but now she held up both hands. "Ohhh, no you don't, cowboy; I don't do that. I mean, I've tried it before, yes - which is why I no longer do it. Talk about disgusting."

"You gotta give me something, here!" he complained, gesturing to himself again. Celica could see the bulge was nothing to sneeze at, and felt some momentary misgivings about what she was turning her back on. "Put yourself in my place; I'm all worked up. How would you feel if I just walked out on you?"

That brought to mind an image of herself storming out of her friend's apartment like a coward. Accela had been right about that; it was a huge mistake to flee the scene of the crime instead of staying behind to work things out. "Rotten, that's how."

"Well?"

Nodding, Celica reached into her purse and plopped a twenty down on the dresser. "This should be enough to cover the cost of a pay-per-view movie. Knock yourself out."

"Hey- hey wait up, don't go yet!"

His hand slammed into the door as her hand began to turn the knob.

"You don't wanna do this," she said in a low, dangerous tone. "Trust me. It'd be a lot smarter for you to let me leave."

"I don't think I'm asking too much," he panted into her ear, animal lust still gripping him. "Just... maybe use your hands or whatever. Anything, come on, just take care of me a little so I don't feel like I got used up and thrown away."

She pulled the door open a crack, but his weight shut it as quickly. "You sure? Anything?"

"Anything."

With alarming speed, she spun to face him and drove her knee into his nether regions. He crumpled like a paper doll in a trash compactor.

"There," she sighed as she stood over him, watching him moan and writhe on the carpet. "Your balls enjoyed a little brush with a woman, right? You did say 'anything'."

"You... friggin'... you bitch..."

"I know I am," she sighed, bending over him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "And I'm not saying you're such a bad guy, you were mostly pretty cool about all this. My baggage was a huge cockblock for you tonight, and again, I sympathize. Just... don't ever, _EVER_ stop a woman from leaving a room by force again. You never know when she might work for RUC Security."

His eyes somehow bulged out even farther. "A cop...!"

Her badge was instantly in his face, and he squeezed his eyes shut again. "Oh, you're not under arrest or anything, don't worry. Having me build up your load and _not_ let you finish, then getting kicked in the gonads? You've been through plenty for one night. Silver lining is, at least you can tell your buddies back at the bar that you got some physical contact; I won't even contradict them if they happen to ask." Then she stood and, after a moment's debate, grabbed the money off the dresser. "But for blocking my initial exit, I'm taking this back. Toodles."

He didn't bother to say another word as she walked out on him, humming a tune to herself and smiling.

o o o TO BE CONTINUED o o o


	4. Chapter 4

o o o CHAPTER FOUR o o o

"Hey, Celica."

"Oh," she said softly, putting down her sandwich slowly and glancing around the restaurant. "Um... hey, Accela. What's new?"

"Well... not a lot in the past few days. But we haven't spoken much since then. You know, the day after..."

"Yeah," she said glumly. Privately, she was suddenly in mourning for the nice, uncomplicated dinner she'd been having. "I know. How'd you even know I was here, anyway?"

"Asked Sylvia." A long pause. "So, uh, if you wouldn't mind me joining you... we could. Talk now, I mean. If you want."

Celica hitched a pained smile into place. "Um... considering the kind of conversations we're having these days, are you sure it's a good idea to air grievances in such a public location?"

"No," she admitted, sliding into the chair. "But, well, I figure it's neutral territory."

"Good point." The waiter appeared magically, handed Accela a menu, and disappeared. "Um, it's on me, whatever you want. As long as you don't order one of everything."

Accela laughed, and it was genuine, not forced. Only the tiniest bit nervous. "I couldn't ask that of you."

"Only fair for all the times you make dinner. If I can't return the favor by cooking, I can at least pay for someone else to do it!"

"Very well," she ceded. "But this one dinner makes us even up until now."

"No way does it, after all the times you've-"

"Those are my conditions. Take them or leave them."

Celica grinned from ear to ear. How could she have been so worried about their friendship surviving? "Deal."

Once their waiter returned to ask for her order, she leaned over and said, "I'll have the chicken tikka masala with basmati, saag paneer, and naan. Oh, and a pakora platter to share with my friend." As the man vanished with her menu, she caught Celica staring at her and said, "What?"

"I have no idea what the hell you just said."

"Hey, I ordered off the menu," Accela giggled, sipping from the water glass. "Don't you eat here all the time?"

Celica blushed a deep shade of crimson. "I, um... I order the tandoori-and-cheese sandwich. Every time. Sorry, I'm kind of unimaginative."

"I know," she sighed, glancing at the bastardization of Indian cuisine on Celica's plate. "In the food department, anyway. But I meant it, I want you to try some of that pakora when it comes, it's delicious."

It was a touch surreal, but the two women avoided any darker topics all the way through their meal, and Celica did enjoy the pakora as Accela had claimed she would... but she flipped entirely over the gulab jamun. So much so, in fact, that she was still raving about it on her way home.

"It's freaking brilliant!" she exclaimed, hands locked behind her head as she walked along. "Boiling donut holes in pure sugar? Who's the genius who came up with this?"

Accela laughed. "Well, it's hazardous to your health to eat more than a few of them, but they are rich and exquisite."

"You're not wrong; I already feel like I'm going to pass out, just from the four I had."

"You really shouldn't have had four," she said with a hint of worry. "It's hard to blame you since you've never tried them before, but they're too heavy to suck them down like you did." They laughed together, and walked in silence for a few more minutes. "You know... my place is closer, if you want to grab a nap on my couch."

Celica nearly tripped over her own feet. "What? I mean... thanks, but I'll probably be okay. How pathetic would I be if all it took was one dessert to cripple me so badly that I can't even make it to my own house?"

"That's fine," Accela said with a shrug. "I just thought I'd offer."

"Unless you want me to come by," Celica hastened to say, heart triphammering. "Y'know... to kick it for a while. Because we could do that."

"I wouldn't want to impose if you're busy."

"I'm not. Let's do it."

Accela let a hint of a smile creep into her features, but her eyes remained worried - and Celica caught it. She caught it, digested it, and felt her stomach lurch. "Okay, it's a plan. There's a liquor store up this street and a few blocks ov-"

"No."

That certainly made Accela stop in her tracks. "Come again?"

"No, we don't need any," Celica said firmly. "I'm... let's hope this doesn't come back and bite me on the keister, but I'm quitting drinking cold turkey."

"What? But... Celica, that might not be the best way. Aren't you worried about relapsing? Maybe you should join a group, set up a network of support as you-"

"I don't need one. I've got your voice in my head, telling me to clean up my act. It's more effective."

Accela didn't seem convinced, though there was now a grin breaking out on her face. "What brought this on? If you don't mind me asking, I mean. You were defending your right to party 'uninhibited' tooth and nail so recently."

That made Celica blush. "Um... let's just say I was feeling pretty down after our fight, and I went out drinking... and I kinda got a wake-up call. It makes me do stupid stuff - and I mean, only because I let it get out of hand, right? Unfortunately, I'm now pretty convinced that I'm no good at the 'in moderation' crap, so..."

"What kind of wake-up call?" Accela pressed. "You didn't throw up on the bartender again, did you?"

"Of _course_ not! Come on, that was one time - does everybody have to keep bringing it up?"

"Okay, okay," she laughed. "Then I'm guessing you went home with a random stranger whom you'd never give the time of day when sober. Am I getting warmer?"

There was a long, squirm-filled silence before Celica mumbled, "Scalding."

"Celica," she sighed, snaking her arm around her friend's neck. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"Take me home and ground me for a month?"

But hiding behind Celica's joke was a hefty dose of tension. Accela was very much showing every sign of 'forgive and forget', which was a beautiful thing - and more than she deserved. The problem was, Celica wasn't sure _she_ could forget. Could she forget the warmth of her body? Could she forget the feel of her smooth skin, the taste of her lips? It was amazing; she'd only experienced each of those things for such brief, fleeting moments, but sadly they were more vivid in her mind's eye than all her midnight liaisons combined were. She'd give anything to burn those memories out of her head. Alas, they were there to stay, and would probably continue to color her outlook on this friendship for quite some time.

o o o

Everything returned to status quo over the course of the next week. Accela was obviously thrilled to have her best friend back, and that pesky ordeal behind them. So what if they'd made out one morning? Everybody makes mistakes. It's all in the past.

On the other hoof, Celica was going out of her mind. Each occasion they'd been out together (or stayed in, either way), there was usually at least one moment where she felt, as she began to semi-affectionately think of it, a "flame-up". This was her contraction of "flare-up" and "flaming gayness". For example, one night they were playing billiards in a local bar (and drinking sugary, non-alcoholic concoctions), and Celica hadn't thought about her friend as anything other than such all evening. So far, so good. Then, unexpectedly, she looked over as Accela concentrated on her next shot, leaning far over the table... and saw the beads of sweat clinging to her cleavage, due to her low-cut blouse. Try as she might to make her brain voice the more socially-acceptable opinion of, _Ew, I wish she'd cover herself_, that was easier said than done. Instead, it said something more along the lines of, _Ooh, sexy. I wonder how her sweat tastes...?_

Which would prompt her to smack herself in the forehead, then shake her head vigorously; the natural reaction when you're suffering from unwanted thoughts. And, of course, Accela would stop and ask if she was feeling well, and she'd beam at her in response and claim she was doing splendiferous. And nothing would get resolved.

Everything was fine - or as fine as Celica could have hoped. She even reached a point at which she could mostly ignore the weird flame-ups, bury them deep and concentrate on enjoying life and the fun they were having instead of dwelling on the fun they _weren't_. Her true-bluest gal-pal was back in her life, and if she had any say in the matter, nothing was going to jeopardize that.

Until that afternoon at HQ.

"Why did we have to scrub out the training room?" Accela groused as they trudged into the locker room.

"Because we trashed it," Celica grunted, placing both hands squarely in the center of her back and pressing hard. The loud _POP!_ was scary to the ears, but a delight for her spine. "That's the rule around here; if you let training get out of hand, you don't leave the mess for the sanitation department. I only wish you'd thought of that before you started firing off-"

"I know, I know," Accela snapped without much venom. "You've already busted my chops enough, thanks. Oh, don't be mad at me, okay? I know it was my fault. I'll figure out a way to-"

But Celica was giggling. "Geez, listen to you. What's done is done, okay? Forget it. Sometimes it is nice to get down and dirty with some menial labor."

"Thanks, ladies," Sylvia announced as she strolled past them, decked out in civilian dress - which in this case _was_ a dress. "It has been looking a little dingy in there lately. Integra's already gone home, so lock up when you leave, okay?"

"Where are _you_ heading all dolled up?" Celica wanted to know.

"None of your beeswax," she said airily, moving her purse strap an inch back up her mostly-bare shoulder. "A gentleman caller is ushering me to a fine dining establishment. Film at eleven. Ta, girls..."

They both glared at their coworker's back as she sauntered out. "Showoff."

"I know," Accela sighed. "Whatever. Let's get cleaned up so we can escape this wretched building, too."

But once they got under the hot water, they found they didn't want to leave. For nearly thirty minutes, they stood under the streams, allowing the heat to wipe away the knots that had formed as they scrubbed and polished. It was heaven.

"Celica?" Accela asked from nowhere. "Do you... ever think about that morning anymore?"

The soap shot out of Celica's hand and careened around the inside of her shower stall before coming to a rest between her feet. Slowly, she squatted and answered, "You're bringing this up now? Why?"

"I dunno. You're right, maybe it's masochistic to pick it apart anymore, but it's just, I guess I can't help but ponder it once in a while. So... do you?"

"Not really," she said aloud. _Just every hour on the hour,_ she added inwardly.

"Hmm. This is probably really awkward to talk about while we're showering, I know, but... well, I wanted to revisit the issue. Y'know, so I can apologize properly."

"_You_ apologize? What do you have to apologize for? It was my fault!"

"No, no," she sighed, and Celica could hear the somewhat-rude noise of a nearly-empty shampoo bottle being squirted. "Sure, you did something that was... out of bounds. But I completely overreacted. Later, when I was thinking about it, I finally remembered how hard you were trying to apologize, and how freaked out you were, and... God, all I did was scream at you, and berate you, and I guess I just wanted to let you know that I do understand that. It wasn't just you in the wrong; I dropped the ball that day, too. And I'm sorry."

What was Celica supposed to say to that? Was she supposed to say all was forgiven? Or was now her opportunity to come clean about the unorthodox thoughts she'd been entertaining lately? Somehow, that seemed like a terrible, but terribly-tempting idea. Get it out in the open, cleanse her conscience! But would that really improve anything instead of destroying?

"Celica?"

"No, yeah," she blurted out, soaping her feet hastily; option one it is. "All is forgiven, don't make such a huge deal. But I don't see why y- _AIHH- OW!_"

"Omigod!" In scant seconds - ones that Celica could only half-remember - Accela was bent over her, both of them squeezed into the one stall. "Celica, are you - _Celica, you're bleeding!"_

"Don't... I'm..."

"Oh, no, you probably have a concussion," the redhead said, incorrectly guessing at why Celica couldn't speak properly anymore. It had a lot less to do with the bump on her head and a lot more to do with her would-be rescuer - and her lack of clothing. "Should I call medics? They're only two flights up, if memory serves-"

"No, don't do that," she gusted, squeezing her eyes shut to block out the scene she didn't want to enjoy too much. "Accela... you can go back to your own shower now, I can finish up-"

"You cannot," she said adamantly, hands on her shoulders. "I'm staying right here to make sure you don't pass out and- and _drown_ or something. What were you doing, anyway?"

Celica frowned at her, making sure both eyes remained on her face. "Washing my feet, that's all, and I slipped. Come on - I'm not bleeding a lot, am I? There's barely any red in the water-"

"Your poor head," she cooed, reaching up and touching it. While examining her friend's scalp, she kept shifting from side to side, driving Celica mad. "Maybe the cut is small enough that there won't be any lasting dam-"

"You have to get out of here, okay?" Celica grunted, biting her lip when not speaking to lessen her sensitivity to what was happening to her own body. "This tiny shower... we're all over each other, it's mondo bizarro!"

"But I don't want you to go to sleep and never wake up," Accela whispered, lip quivering.

"And I don't want a repeat of the morning-after disaster! But we're winding up to one pretty darn quickly here if you don't stop writhing around on top of me!"

That finally drew her attention. Slowly, Accela's eyebrows knit, and once they had met in the center she glanced down at the flushness of their forms. Her cheeks filled with color, her breath came faster, and such an obscene level of pain crept into her normally-angelic features. Any moment now, she would begin crying, or screaming - or worse, she'd start beating Celica up for having impure thoughts while she was trying to ensure the continuation of her vitality. That was something Celica already felt guilty about, after all. But then, to Celica's amazement, she did the unexpected.

She didn't move.

"Accela, come on, I'm not playing around," she half-sobbed. "This... it's going to go south in no time flat if you don't get outta here. So go."

"Maybe... I don't want to."

_"WHAT?"_

Accela flinched, averting her eyes. "Th-that- it's not that I'm not scared, or a little grossed out. By what you're saying, that is. But... I'm too worried about your safety to leave you here by yourself, so I think I gotta stay put."

"Accela!" she gasped, shocked. "But... but I pretty much just told you that-"

"Don't say it!" she shouted. "Don't say it out loud, that's too much!"

"That I'm-"

"_Shut UP!"_

Celica whimpered, wanting nothing more than to push on ahead out of childish spite, but she felt too awful to allow herself to regress to that point. "Accela, please, I'm doing my damndest! I don't wanna hurt you, or lose you, or make you unhappy! But you gotta help me help you a little. You know what I mean?"

But Accela's arms were wrapping around her back, and the hug was so crushing that Celica felt her eyes bulging. "I'm not leaving. If you... if you have to start doing bad things, go on and do them, but I'm not leaving until I know you're okay."

Unbidden, Celica's hands began to glide along her friend's back. "Bad things..." Such smooth skin... but then she felt every muscle beneath that skin tighten, so she reeled both hands in to the shoulders, forcing her friend back a few inches. "No. No, Accela. Look at me, okay? I am fine. I've taken way harder knocks to the noggin and we both know it. So you can go. Please, go finish up your shower, and then we'll be on our merry way."

"I won't."

Warmth began to rise from deep within as she pondered her situation. The standing invitation to do 'bad things' to her friend... it excited her, it opened up whole new worlds. But they were ones she'd hoped to keep nailed shut. So she had to do something to drive her out of the shower before they ended up making the biggest misstep of their lives.

"Look," she said forcefully, holding her best friend at arm's length, glaring into her eyes. "I don't have a concussion, and I'm not even bleeding that hard. In no way am I in danger right now. So if you stay, at this point, you're only doing it because you want to cuddle. While we're in the buff. Is that true?"

"Of course not," Accela protested immediately. "Don't be silly, th-that's- that's so offensive-"

"So then go," she said, making it as simple as she could. "Back to your own water and your own soap."

"No!" she cried out, digging her nails into Celica's forearms. "I... I can't help it, all I feel is fear for losing you right now, and it's like... it's like if I leave, it'll be my fault if you die or fall into a coma, and so it's my responsibility to wait and make sure it doesn't happen. Yeah, that sounds kind of paranoid and loopy, but it's how I feel. I swear."

"But we both know I'm not all that hurt. So if you stay... I'm going to kiss you again. Maybe more than that. So you better bail if you don't like that plan."

"Oh," Accela whispered shyly, cheeks quite pink. "But... but I can't leave. My conscience won't let me, because you're my best friend. Come on, are you sure I can't stay without you doing that stuff?"

"No, you really can't," Celica warned, deadly serious.

The redhead nodded glumly, such embarrassment in her cheeks as she thought about what might transpire if she stayed. Finally, she whispered, "Alright, you win. But you'd better answer when I ask you something, so I know you're still awake in here."

"Fine," she snorted as they helped each other to their feet. For some reason, Celica felt like they were standing at the door of Celica's parents' house after a hot date, wishing for the night to never end - just like in all those sappy movies. Silly, such a thought. "Well, you'd best be running along now."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." But neither of them moved. A few seconds ticked by, and Accela tightened her grip on Celica's hands, squeezing them reassuringly. Arms swung to and fro, feet made muffled slapping noises as they readjusted their stance to keep from slipping and falling yet again. Then Accela whispered, "Oh, to hell with it."

Which was apparently all the warning Celica was going to receive before her friend stood on tippy-toe and mashed their lips together. It was a true explosion of sensations; even the tile under her toes had deeper grooves between them, every droplet of water that pounded against her back stood out in stark relief against the sweat beading on her forehead. Hands roved and explored - and not just Celica's hands. It took all the willpower she had - and about thirty seconds of saving it up while she relished such indiscretion - for her to fall back into the wall, holding her friend at what was a pitiful excuse for arm's length, and shout, _"HEY!"_

"I'm sorry!" Accela hissed immediately, hands at her mouth. "Omigod, that was so stupid, why did I do that when we're- damn me, why would I have done that?"

"You said you didn't want this," Celica said, angry - because she was excited. She'd never been this excited from any kiss before. _Never_. Not even with a guy. It infuriated her that her best friend could bring this about, and yet seemed so wishy-washy about whether or not that was appropriate. How much longer was she supposed to put up with this? "You said it was an 'unspeakable' thing and that you couldn't look at me anymore after I did it. And here you are... driving me crazy, and you don't get that... that I've been holding back, trying not to pounce on you, to take you beyond what you're prepared to endure! But what the hell have I been trying for, when all it takes is a bump on the head for you to throw the straight-girl manual out the damn window?"

"You've been holding back?" Accela gasped, horrified. "From what, making out with me? Or..."

"_OR,_ honey. A hefty, gilded 'or' of epic prop'or'tions."

"Omigod, Celica," she blubbered, now so thoroughly freaked that she couldn't fight back the tears. The light bulb going off seemed to make an audible _ping! _"You're turned on! You're actually turned on by me, and it's so sick, and oh my _GOD,_ how can this be happening?"

Celica chuckled, spreading her legs and planting them firmly against the corners of the stall. "Jump in anytime. You'll figure out how my anatomy's set up - a lot like yours, I'd say."

"_No way!_" she shouted, jerking backward. "I'm not going to- you can do that for yourself! How could you bear to request that I do something so, so depraved?"

"Because I warned you!" she snapped readily. "I told you if you stayed, we'd be dealing with whole new plateaus of strangeness, and you stayed anyway! You cannot - _cannot_ say I didn't warn you!"

"B-but... but I didn't think... how was I to know...?"

"Accela... you have no idea how much I feel like the scum of the earth right now! But I can't help it! You set me off!"

"You're not going to... not in front of me," she said incredulously, one arm snaking around her own waist as she shivered, despite the warm water. "That's- no, you can't do that, I won't let you!"

"But you TOLD me to. When I asked for help, you said I could do it for myself. No take-backs."

Neither of them spoke for almost a full minute. Celica was within seconds of screaming at her again to get lost... until something unprecedented happened.

"What-"

"Shh," Accela whispered, tears in her throat. Slowly, she took a step forward and pressed her body into Celica's. This was not exactly Accela wrapping herself around her in a loving embrace, but desiring the closeness... even if she was standing stiff as a board, unable to relax due to her shame and uncertainty. "Just d-don't- don't make me hate myself for this, p-please, don't hate me, don't let me hate myself!"

And thusly, Celica lost touch with reality for a few minutes. Never before had she been so satisfied in doing so.

o o o

"Wow," Accela gasped as they slowly slid along the wall and down by the drain, breathless. "Y-you... you really... that was quite a performance!"

"You conducted," Celica giggled dreamily. "Mmm... God, I can't believe that just happened!"

Accela's hands drew into her own lap, fidgeting. "I guess, um, that maybe it didn't kill me. To help you out a little. But... that was so weird, and I'm not sure I understand all of it, or how I feel about it."

"You have no idea how sorry I am," Celica said, her tone earnest even if she was too fatigued to put much emphasis on her own words. "For all of this. I didn't ask to start thinking you were sexy, or to kiss you, or to get excited when I feel your skin. It just... it started happening. I don't wanna lose our friendship because I can't keep it in my pants, but asking you to hook up with me because I've gone insane isn't fair to you, not by a longshot!" A few seconds passed as they let the water flush away the lingering heat within the tiny chamber. "So w-what are we gonna do?"

"Well..." Accela's tear-streaked face pushed into Celica's neck. "We're not going to give up on each other. Not like we came so close to doing after the first time. We both know that's no good."

"Tell me about it. 'Fraid you're stuck with me, kiddo," Celica snickered as she wrapped both arms securely around her friend, kissing her on top of the head. Accela cooed contentedly. "I'll always be your best bud, even if I'm... if I might be turning into a, a..."

"Lesbian?"

"Don't say it like that," she breathed.

"I didn't say it like anything," Accela tittered. "But I get it, you dislike the label, so I won't use it. But hey, have there, um... been any other girls?"

"No." And it was only once she'd said as much that she realized it was true. "No, I guess it's down to you."

Accela nodded dismally, her finger tracing tiny circles upon Celica's knee. "So... if it's only me who makes you feel like this, than maybe... I'm lez-bait? Or... am I one, too, and I just don't know it yet? Oh no, am I gonna start f-feeling all these strange ways, and will-"

"Relax, okay? Geez, you spaz."

So she did. Accela quieted, but she did nuzzle against her friend, tiny squeaks of dismay issuing from within her throat every now and then. Thus, Celica made it her sworn duty to kiss the top of her head every time she heard one. It was meager payment for getting this much closer to her closest friend and still being able to call them that. Meager payment, indeed.

o o o TO BE CONTINUED o o o

* * *

AUTHOR NOTE: So yes, this is where things REALLY begin heating up. I'll be trying my level best to adhere to the site standards and toe that "Fiction Rating: M" line, honestly I will – but nobody's perfect. In light of that, I implore you, PLEASE send me a PM if I don't succeed BEFORE reporting the fiction. I'd rather be told what precisely is "going too far" instead of banned without explanation.


	5. Chapter 5

o o o CHAPTER FIVE o o o

After a while, they finished cleaning themselves up and dressed, and Celica walked Accela home, then bid her goodnight. Neither of them expressed a desire to spend any more time together that evening; it seemed they both silently agreed that a limit had been reached. Time apart to evaluate was probably wise.

The next day they spoke very little at work, but it was always polite and professional, never unkind, hardly even uncomfortable. Simply two people feeling out the changes in an old relationship. They had a good laugh when Integra had a particle of food on her face that she was unaware of, and both cursed the director with equal hatred when he asked them to overhaul the computer systems in the mobile response unit. Sylvia, of course, sided with the director (because she hoped if she built up enough brownie points with him that he'd eventually see her as more than an employee), and Integra was still mad at them for sharing a guffaw at her expense, so the two ended up tackling this menacing task alone. This might not have been for the best.

"So I guess we'll start on the basic OS," Celica was saying, glancing at the clipboard they had been given. "From there up, maybe we can determine any security holes, and on to the specific programs. There did seem to be a glitch in _MMPH!"_

The kiss was fleeting, and more of a peck than a sloppy one. As soon as she pulled away, Accela giggled.

"What in the-" As an automatic reaction, Celica swiped at her mouth with one sleeve. "What was _that_ supposed to be?"

"I dunno," she said shyly, biting her lip between sentences. "Just... curious."

"Yeah, that's what I'd call it; _bi-curious._"

"No, no. I mean... well, if we were... y'know, like _that_. I was curious how it would feel to exchange the 'Honey, I'm home' kind of kiss."

Celica nodded warily. "Uhh, yyyeah. Listen, let's not surprise me with these kind of experiments anymore, okay?"

"But..." And only now did Accela seemed alarmed by her action - before, she had only seemed slightly embarrassed, but mostly puckish. Was that a positive step, or not? "But you wanted... I thought this was what you wanted. Y'know, for me to keep an open mind, and try things out to see if they work."

"Not while we're _AT_ work! Geez, what if the director walks in and finds us 'necking' or whatever in official police equipment?"

Accela's nose crinkled as she winked at her friend. "Doesn't that make it more exciting?"

Now that she mentioned it, Celica found she did feel excited. A thrill of danger was intermingling with the joys of experimentation. "Um, I, uh... okay, look." Finally, she bit down on those feelings and focused herself on the task at hand. "No more of that stuff, got it? You're not wrong, but I still don't wanna lose my job."

"What happened to 'there's no such thing as enough slacking', eh?" And just like that, Accela was crawling onto her, arms snaking up her chest, nose buried in the skin of her cheek...

"_Whoa!"_ she cried out as the clipboard clattered to the floor, forgotten. "What... what is this? You going to start flipping this lightswitch, turning it on and off at will - turning _me_ on and off? You're acting like - _AAAAH_, cut that out! You're acting like a lovestruck teenager!"

"Don't complicate it with those kinds of words," Accela was moaning in her ear. "I've just... I've never been with a woman before. I've barely been with any men, and I can't say I enjoyed that a whole lot. So... so I guess I'm wondering..."

"What?"

Now Accela drew back, her playacting at being a seductress falling apart as her eyes welled with tears. "Promise not to hate me?"

"Couldn't happen," Celica said assuredly. "Now spill the beans."

"What if I am?" she said quietly, shaking like a leaf. "Like you, I mean. It's all I could think last night; I tried to approach it more rationally, but I kept coming back to that."

"To what? To whether or not you were? I thought that was the _question_, not part of the answer."

"No, it's-" Very abruptly, Accela was on her feet and at the opposite end of the vehicle's interior. "You've had lots of relationships. And before you say it, _no_, I'm not calling you a slut, I'm just saying... you're a lot more open about that kind of thing. I'm a homebody, mostly, so I never date. The few dates I've had were awful, and the once or twice they progressed into the bedroom..."

"I remember," Celica sighed, a pang of empathy welling up. "You said they were disasters, and that you didn't have any fun. So tell me, now that we're trying to be so upfront about stuff. Is that the truth?"

"Yes," she said with a nod. "But what I didn't say before was... well, I may have given off the impression that I just didn't like sex, and that was true then. Because I didn't like it. Except now..."

"Now?"

Accela turned slightly, her cheeks beet red, and shrugged. "Now... I'm beginning to wonder if..." Then she blurted the rest in such a rush that it took Celica a moment to disentangle the words: "_I-didn't-like-it-because-they-were-men!"_

"You... didn't... oh God," she breathed. "You mean that? 'Cause I don't want you saying it for my benefit, to make me feel less weird, so tell me now, be real. You don't like getting it on with guys?"

"That's definitely what I mean," she assured her friend. "This is how I felt back then, too - but I told myself I was being absurd and closed the book on it. You know how you rationalize things when you're not ready to confront them head-on. Now, after being with you in the shower... I think I have to open that book again."

Celica stood and walked over to Accela, ignoring the way she flinched and began to tremble. "Hey. It's okay. I'll be glad to bang you silly."

"_What?"_

"Kidding," she cackled. "Trying to lighten the mood, here!"

Accela punched her in the shoulder, which didn't stop her laughing. Then she sighed and said, "But I guess, even though you were kidding, that's what I was winding up to."

"Huh?"

"I'd be willing... to try a few things," she said in such a low voice that it was a struggle to catch it. "Please, don't go overboard and start assuming we're 'together', or that we'll be using all kinds of t-toys, or anything crazy. I'm so afraid, but... will you..."

"Will I what?" she said kindly, one hand on Accela's shoulder. "Go on, it's only me."

After a quick swallow, she whispered, "Will you take a few baby steps with me?"

"Sure, definitely." Celica caught the tremors in her voice - since she was scared out of her mind of what might come of these "baby steps" - so she coughed and tried to sound more reassuring. "Listen, this doesn't have to be so scary. I've heard about stuff like this before; we can set some ground rules before we even get into it, so nobody goes too far and the other person isn't thrown into something they're not ready for."

"That sounds great," Accela sighed with some - if not complete - relief. "Because I can tell you, that is exactly where I am: _not ready._ Not for any of this, not really, but at the very least I'm ready to get off the sidelines and into the game, I think. After yesterday."

"Thanks again for that," Celica moaned in her ear, and she shivered. "I can't tell you how much it meant to me." Another shiver when her ear was kissed. "Um, sorry if this is too much too soon."

"No," she said in a shaky voice. "That was... fine. It made me feel..."

"Do you want me to... be the boy?" Celica asked nervously, wrapping her arms around her friend's waist. "To take control for you, like in the traditional gender role? I could probably handle that, if you want."

"No!" she protested, shoving her hands away. When Celica gaped in shock, she smiled remorsefully. "I mean... I think that's what puts me off in the first place, partly. The macho attitude. Coming from you, it maybe wouldn't be quite as annoying, but even so... can we just be us? The way we already are?"

"Dude, of course," Celica half-sobbed. That had actually been really touching for her, and once her heart stopped doing backflips she planted a very tender kiss on her forehead. "I like the way you already are, too."

"What are you two doing?"

Both girls nearly had simultaneous heart attacks as they broke apart, eyes roving frantically, but they calmed a bit when they saw the communication light on a nearby console lit up. The speaker crackled to life again as it barked out, "Hello? Integra to Celica, Integra to Accela - somebody answer!"

"Sorry," Accela said, her voice remarkably professional despite the conversation they'd just been having. "What seems to be the problem?"

"No report yet?" their superior demanded. "Are you guys making out in there or what?"

"Why would we be doing that?" Celica couldn't prevent herself from bursting out. "I mean, uh, while we're on the clock, anyway. You know we typically save our making out for after."

"Ha, ha," Integra said, fooled into thinking it was a joke. "Very funny. Just get cracking or I'll make you stay late to finish."

"Roger, sir," Accela said, then switched the mic off. "_Geez._"

"Yeah, holy _crap_ did that take away six of my nine lives!"

Accela smiled at her. "Guess we'd better get back to work."

"Guess so." But her mouth surged forward and connected to Accela's, and they lost themselves for a few seconds before they broke apart, chests heaving and requiring the support of the console to keep from crumpling to the floor.

"Wow," Accela breathed. "That was... intense."

"Any thoughts?" Celica laughed. "To be kinda blunt, I know enough by now to be able to tell it floats my boat already, but I wanna know how you feel."

"Good!" After a few more seconds, she slumped into a chair. "I... it's terrifying, and I feel so dirty, and wrong... but at the same time, not as wrong as when I was on other dates."

"You mean, with guys," she needled.

"I mean with people who weren't you," Accela amended shyly as she mostly turned her attention to what they were supposed to be doing in there, picking up the clipboard and glancing down at it... but she paused to turn back to her friend and complete her thought. "Celica, you can't assume that I'm turning into a big lesbo. Maybe it's not that, maybe it's... you're the only human being I can stand to allow this close to me, male or otherwise. And I'm pretty sure that's it, just so you know."

That was perhaps almost as big a shock as when Accela had told her she loved her. Instantly, Celica felt her pulse pounding behind her temples. Much as no one had ever expressed that they loved her beyond a simple friendship or a one-night stand, she'd also never been informed that she - and _only_ she - had the capacity to bring joy to an individual. That was more importance than she was used to shouldering. Did she mean it? Of course she did; Accela didn't lie, she didn't know how. It was the first moment Celica earnestly and wholeheartedly wanted to be one with her best friend; not to experiment, not to dip their feet into uncharted waters to see what it was like, but to cast aside every last reservation and unite forevermore.

This was the moment she realized she was in love with Accela Warrick.

o o o

Later that evening, after the two of them had at long last completed work on the RUC mobile unit, Celica and Accela retired to her apartment. At the same moment of the front door slamming, they began a kiss that lasted from there into the bedroom over the span of ten minutes. It was broken when Accela shoved her away and ran into the bathroom.

"What's the matter?" Celica asked warily through the door.

"I'm fine," the voice responded shakily. "I... that was... it was kind of overwhelming, there's a lot about this I'm still not used to. You're so sweet to me, so compassionate..."

"I put the 'passion' in compassionate," Celica joked. "Seriously, though, why'd you bolt?"

"Like I said, it was overwhelming. Don't hate me, I already feel like an idiot, alright? And... okay, that was stupid of me to flip out and run away, I know I could have just asked you if we could take a breather."

"You could have _told_ me," she corrected, folding her arms. "Remember, you didn't want me to be the boy-girl, so don't act like you need my permission for anything."

A honking sound; Accela was blowing her nose. "Okay, I know that. Like I said: stupid." Then the door opened and Accela slipped her arms around Celica's waist. "Now... want to try this again?"

"No," Celica sighed, stepping back and away. "You kind of killed the mood."

"What? B-but-"

"Kidding," she said, sticking her tongue out. "Half-kidding; you did mortally-wound the mood, though. So let's get dinner going, then contemplate, uh, round two."

Accela nodded shyly, kicking at the carpet. "Yeah... I guess you have a point. And I am hungry. Want to help me chop vegetables?"

"You trust me not to lose a finger? Wow, this relationship _is_ progressing."

"Oh, stop."

Once the dish was boiling merrily on the stove, they moved to the couch where Celica could comfortably straddle her friend without much danger of falling. There was quite a bit of rouge in Accela's cheeks as they kissed, hands briefly teasing other areas without lingering overlong. Just as Celica's lips were gliding along her neck, she whispered, "Tell me something."

"What?" she replied without ceasing her advance.

"You... you've been holding back for a while, right?" She took the silence as a confirmation as the lips pushed at the neckline of her shirt, dipping lower, and lower still... "Ah... I m-mean, this is what you've wanted from me in all th-that time, isn't it? To be- to be closer?"

It didn't surprise her that even with the position they were currently in, it was still difficult for her to confess. "Y-yeah..."

"Then aren't I... moving too slow? If you've been restraining your desires for weeks, you must have a lot of need pent up that you'd like to - _ooh_ - to let loose."

"Maybe so," Celica said with a wicked grin as she removed her face from the cleavage she'd been attacking. "But... okay, promise not to laugh, or think I'm going nuts?"

"I promise."

"Now that you've... relented," she said sinfully, and Accela yelped and averted her eyes from the undiluted suggestion in her friend's voice and features, "and now that I can have you all to myself... I don't mind taking my time. It makes this all the more... savory."

"Oh my God," Accela breathed, hands clutching to her own chest. "Y-you're an animal..."

"I am." Using her mouth, she nipped the hem of her blouse upward and began tracing the tip of her nose in circles around Accela's navel. "I'm a panther, didn't you know? You are my prey. Now that I've caught your scent, there's no escape."

"Celica..." When she felt the first gust of hot breath blast up her skirt, she gasped her friend's name out again with greater urgency - and hearing her own name from her friend's lips with so much lust behind it inflamed Celica more than she dared admit. _"CELICA!"_

o o o

And so began Accela's instruction. Celica decided to start with the basics: playing solitaire before moving along to one-on-one poker. A person must crawl before they can walk, right? Accela proved to be a reluctant pupil, and that's being kind, but she made remarkable progress. Five minutes later, however, Accela was sweating buckets and trembling, her hand retreating from its previous actions. "No, I- I'm too scared!"

"You can do this!"

"I can't!" Every inch of her face was burning red as she hissed, "And I want to, so bad, it's beautiful and ridiculous and I love it, b-but I'm too scared of what it's going to feel like when- when I- when it happens!" She took a few shallow, steadying breaths, then bravely tried to persevere, but as she let out a sharp sound she jerked away again. _"AH!_ Dammit, Celica, I can't do this! I wish I was ready, but I'm not!"

"Shhh," Celica soothed as her hand passed up and down her friend's shin. "Stop stressing over it. Nobody wants you to try so hard that you aren't even having fun anymore. Kind of defeats the purpose."

"Celica..." A long moment passed with Celica waiting, forcing patience upon herself, and with Accela fretting over what she perceived as a loss of control. Then, at long last, she whispered something, but Celica's heart was pounding too deafeningly for her to pick it up.

"Sorry," she whispered, "but I couldn't hear you."

"Don't make me ask again," Accela said softly, holding her tightly-clenched fist in front of her mouth as if ashamed to even let the movements of her lips be visible as she spoke such treason. "I... it's too... please, just hurry up before I change my mind."

Celica drew back slightly, eyebrows knitting. "Sorry, I'm a little confused. Did you... were you asking for my help, here? And let me know if I'm out of line, instantly, as soon as possible."

"I was," she whispered. "You can go ahead this time, and like I said, do it quick before I change my mind back again."

"This is your last chance, Accela." She made sure her tone was deadly serious, despite the level of need that laced every word. "We... I'm about to dive in head-first. Once I do that, I'm not gonna stop unless you, y'know... use a blunt object to knock me unconscious. This is all about you, and I respect your your wishes, but I've only got so much freaking restraint. Tell me to back off now while you still can, or let me run _completely wild._ What's it gonna be?"

Accela seemed frightened by this prospect - that this was her last decision, her point of no return - but then she shed a pair of crystalline tears as she nodded.

"No, no nodding. I have to hear it." There was a hitch in Celica's voice as she followed up with, "I don't want to look back later and realize I misread your body language, okay? You should be able to remember why."

"I remember. And that's a yes. I want your help. I want you, Celica!"

Luckily for Celica, she enjoyed having her hair tugged on, especially in the heat of the moment. Otherwise, she might have been distracted over the course of the next few minutes... but as it so happened, her focus endured.

o o o

Sixty seconds crawled by as they regained their breath, allowed their heart-rates to slow. Accela was somehow the first to recover, even though she had likely expended the larger amount of energy. "Oh wow, I... I did it! I was pretty sure I was going to chicken out! And at the end - God, what are you, part _lizard?"_

Celica began to laugh, first low, then heartily from the gut. "Baby... geez Louise, you have no idea how you sounded. Can I get that on audiobook?"

An impatient tutting issued from the redhead's lips. "Cut that out, you're so awful! As if such a... such... hey, where are your pants?"

"Huh?" Celica followed her line of sight. "Oh, yeah, almost forgot about that. Bet they're down around my ankles."

"But why would you do that?" When Celica only pulled back to give her a 'is your brain on the fritz?' look, Accela gasped. "No! Come on, were you really- did you, did you- _multitask?"_

"What can I say? I got skills like that."

"Wow..." The redness that had mostly faded from Accela's face returned in full force. "So... when I was... then you were, too. Ooh..."

Celica's grin was highly suggestive. "Methinks your interest is piqued by this notion. Wanna... switch places? Go for round three?"

Accela laughed nervously, eyes averted. "M-maybe some other time, when I think I could actually manage to split my focus that much. It seems like it would be wearying."

"Hey, part and parcel." She inhaled deeply through her nose, and when she spoke her lips brushed Accela's skin. "You smell divine... like a honeycomb. I meant what I said, about devouring you."

"Do you have to do that?" she breathed, swallowing anxiously as one of her hands drew up to her chest. "You d-don't sound like the Celica I know when you say stuff like that."

"This is the only Celica there is. What do you think? This is how I talk to my lovers."

There was definite dismay in her eyes. "Lovers! Don't j-jump to conclusions, this is only- you were supposed to help teach me, and we're letting off steam, but you're... pushing it into territory I'm not ready to explore!"

"You've forged a few paths already today, Dr. Livingston. What's one more? If you decide to... break out the map and compass one more time..."

"Alright, that's enough," Accela snapped. "I'm... I'm still not even ready for what we already did, let alone anything worse, so drop it."

"Ohhh, God, but it's so _frustrating!"_ Celica relented, flopping down on Accela's shoulder. "So maybe I was hamming it up there, but it's not like I'm lying; I'm totally warm for your form. It creeps me out, too. But... you do like me, and how I feel, right?"

Only now did Accela let out a neutralizing blast of air. "Maybe. That's all you're getting out of me tonight, do you understand? _Maybe_ I don't hate all these new feelings and concepts. But... oh, I'm not trying to say you're more, um, open to this kind of thing than I am... I mean, you get it, right? You have always been more courageous and up front, and I've always been... a scaredy cat. I'm adapting as fast as I can!"

"You're doing great," Celica sighed contentedly. "If someone had said to me yesterday that you'd actually let me st-"

_"AAHH!"_ she yelped, clutching her head. "Young ears, young ears!"

"You're almost the same age as me, you pansy!" But then they both giggled. "Okay, back to my point. If someone had told me _that_ yesterday, I'd have figured they went off their meds. But tonight..." Then she drew back and looked into her friend's eyes. "I'm not trying to be argumentative or provoke you or anything, so don't blow a fuse, but I can't lie. Accela, we made love tonight."

"No we didn't," she sputtered immediately, tears running down her cheeks from nowhere. "That was not what that was, it was- I don't- experimentation, or whatever, but there's no way you can count that as-"

"You let me bypass your shields," she went on doggedly, wiping her friend's tears away with one finger. "I asked beforehand, before we even began, and you accepted, and in I went... and you didn't bludgeon me to death with a paperweight during the act. So yeah, we uh... 'did it', as the kids say."

Accela was weeping openly. "No. I don't want that to be true. You're my best bud, not my- what if this doesn't work out? I don't want some crap like this t-to ruin what we had before!"

"It won't. But even if it could, it doesn't change what went down. Which was me, incidentally." When Accela let out a damp little laugh, Celica leaned in and kissed another tear away. "You and I have coalesced on a higher plane. Maybe to you that sounds repulsive or unclean or bad like that, but to me... it's something to celebrate. I got to connect to the person who's most important to me in the deepest way possible? Awesome! I want to sing, I want to scream - I want to let the words echo off the Aurora Shell! My Accela and I became one!"

"Oh... it sounds so beautiful when you say it," she blubbered, her own hands finally coming to rest on Celica's back and clutching it with a near-crippling tenacity. "But how can I let myself enjoy it? M-my parents wanted so badly for me to marry a nice man, settle down, raise a family... things I can't do with you."

"Who says? You know the adoption laws in this city don't specify that both parents need be opposite genders."

Accela's eyes filled with fresh tears as she considered that. "Oh my God! We... w-we could even adopt an unregistered citizen! Oh wow, wouldn't that be- oh, Celica!"

"Hey, one step at a time!" she giggled as Accela squeezed her to pieces. "Did I even say I wanted kids? I merely said it was an option to discuss later. But... yeah. It would be nice to give some poor kid from the lower levels a chance. But first you have to figure out if... figure out what you want out of this."

At that, Accela tensed. They both remained perfectly still for a while, thinking, but also enjoying the nearness. Finally, Accela whispered, "I still don't know. It's... so soon, too soon for me. Don't be mad."

"Why would I be mad? You didn't shoot me down already, and that's way more than I figured I'd get." She drew back. "Kiss me."

"Huh?"

"One more time - one time when we're expecting it, voluntarily." Celica licked her lips, throat constricted. "Nothing crazy, just a small one. But if you..."

She broke off because Accela was already leaning in, eyes closed. Now, when their lips drifted together, they both relaxed into it as one. Four hands rose to touch necks and cheeks, two tongues brushed against one another, then retreated. Then, as if by an invisible cue, they both sat back and gazed into each other's eyes.

"So perfect," Accela whispered in awe.

"Mmm," she breathed as she bit into her bottom lip, trying to illicit more of her friend's lingering, unique flavor from it. "Accela... do you realize what you're doing to me?"

"I..." She cleared her throat, shifting uneasily. "I'm not trying to."

Celica shot her a blissful smile. "That's where the magic is. Because it's not anything you're doing. It's just who you are. To me."

Accela's hands moved slowly up from Celica's shoulders to grasp either side of her neck lightly, lip trembling as she nodded her vague understanding, but whimpering to show that she wasn't sure she deserved any of it. She began to lean in once more when she suddenly sat back and gasped, "Oh my gosh."

"What?"

"The _STEW!"_ she shrieked, leaping to her feet; Celica enjoyed a scary teetering moment before she was able to pitch herself into the couch instead of onto the floor. "Damn, I should have been stirring it all this time, and I forgot it, and- oh no, I bet it's complete toxic waste by now!"

"Glad to know I'm _almost_ as important as your cooking," Celica chided. "Thanks for tossing me at your coffee table, I really appreciate that."

"Oops," she blanched as she retreated to the kitchen. "Y-you're right, I'm a spaz, I'm sorry! Oh, good, it looks okay - _no_, there's blackened stuff stuck to the bottom! How can I fix this? Wait - I need another pot..."

Back in the living room, Celica covered her face with both hands out of frustration. At the same time, however, she was laughing anyway. It was too entertaining for her to be overly upset. Every day with Accela was like that.

o o o TO BE CONTINUED o o o

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** Faithful Fray**, you needn't worry, it's been finished. Despite what happened to "Evolution of Friends" (or as a result of?) I no longer post anything unless the last chapter has been written, at least as a rough draft. Gives me incentive to make sure the whole thing makes its way online. "Mixed Signals" isn't very long, though :/ As for the content (and this also goes out to **lilmagi**), well... every time I go to post a new fiction, FFnet strongly cautions me against posting anything that could be considered "MA", which sounds almost the same as "M" but isn't, I gather. Therefore, so as not to anger the gods, I've tempered a few scenes here and there. Don't worry, any relevant plot points (and even most irrelevant ones) were preserved. I'm an artiste, not a butcher. Though Accela's "training" at the end of the chapter just posted... that turned out extremely well, both before AND after editing ;)

And I'm glad my fiction actually prompted someone to watch the anime in the first place. It's so good, but so under-appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

o o o CHAPTER SIX o o o

Two weeks floated by. Despite their burning desires to enjoy more decadent pursuits, they united in such a fashion a mere three times during this period; Celica felt severely impeded, but she knew that Accela was evolving as fast as possible. In her mind, she was breaking every rule she'd ever held dear, such as "only date men", "don't do that to yourself", "mouths shouldn't go there". Celica had started with only the one taboo left unexplored (dating a woman), so once she shattered that barrier everything else was pretty easy. Therefore, it was her responsibility as the more experienced half of their whole to be patient and understanding. It was no cakewalk, but she was willing to endure.

Equally maddening was Accela's insecurity about their relationship status. The more they talked about it, the more Celica was sure that she wanted to remain "just friends"... or "friends with benefits", as the case may be. Not that Celica ever came right out and popped the question, revealing engagement ring on bended knee, but she would bring up the subject casually, as if it wasn't such a big deal. Accela would laugh and say she didn't know if she could ever court a girl, or that she still envisioned herself as a bride one day, marrying a tall, dark, handsome stranger she had yet to meet. Celica privately doubted this mythical boy would ever appear - and not just due to her personal investment in whether or not he did.

Then came the day in which Celica received the most abrupt and disquieting shock of her life.

"Hey," she said as she breezed in the door, a bottle of sparkling apple juice in hand. "Guess what? My parents are finally getting that pool renovated - should be done by Friday! So, y'know, I was thinking we should invite the girls over and do a little partying at Yayoi Manor. Any thoughts?"

"Celica... I want to see other people."

It took great dexterity and reflexes for Celica to reach down and catch the bottle she had just dropped before it hit the floor. Slowly standing back up, she laughed and said, "I meant _related_ thoughts. Try that one more time?"

"Sorry," Accela whispered, spinning a wooden spoon in her hands nervously. "Oh... I didn't want to blurt it out like that, but I figured it would be the least awkward way to breach the subject."

"Good work," she grunted, setting the bottle down on the kitchen counter before she could drop it again, just in case Accela revealed she was also moving, or pregnant or something. "It wasn't the least bit awkward, not at all, thanks."

"Stop it," Accela pouted. "I knew if I didn't lead off with it, I'd never say anything."

"What's this all about?" Celica asked, leaning back against the counter as her vision began to blur slightly. _Great,_ she thought to herself, _I'm freaking. She barely mentioned seeing other people, and it already feels like I'm losing everything. How did I suddenly become so, so... CLINGY?_

"It's not that I'm, y'know... breaking up with you, or whatever," she said, her voice trembling more than her body was. "I mean, from whatever this is. But hey, it's like... I can't help but think about what else is out there. Let's face it, I'm awful when it comes to dating, so the three dates I've been on in the past, oh, four or five years... that can't be all there was. I have to find out."

"So go," Celica said with a shrug, picking up a tumbler and filling it at the sink. Amazingly, she was able to hold it steady enough to avoid shattering the glass. "What am I, your warden? Have fun."

"You've gotta be okay with it, though," Accela pleaded. "I won't go if it's too weird, y'know... sharing me. I worried that you'd be more offended that I'm asking in the first place, since we're not, um... since we're just trying things out, instead of gay. Please, I apologize if all this is sounding really backward, I don't know what all the proper terminology is."

"Terminology?" Celica snorted as she lowered the glass from her lips. "You're trying to cheat on me, and that's your primary concern? Terminology?"

At this, Accela's face drained of color as she stared down at her hands, still twisting the wooden spoon this way and that. "You're mad. Crap, I- how stupid I can be, I knew it was cheating and I- can you ever forgive me? Celica, if you start hating-"

_"Psych!"_ When Accela's eyes snapped up to her friend's, Celica was giggling. "Man, I really had you going there! Don't worry so much. If you want to see if there's some tasty fish out there in the sea, it's cool. Just don't forget you've got a real keeper in the freezer back home."

"You brat," Accela was laughing as she prodded Celica in the ribs with the spoon. "You seriously made me think you hated me for asking! God..."

"What are friends for?" Grinning, she turned and headed out of the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "Bathroom break, be back in five."

"Don't take too long, the roast is almost ready!"

But as soon as she locked the door of the bathroom, Celica slumped to the floor and began shaking, grasping with one hand at the tight pain in her chest. _Panic attack,_ she said to herself, recognizing the symptoms. _It'll pass. I just have to lie still and take deep breaths, let my pulse slow as I get oxygen to my brain. Deep, deep breaths..._

Two minutes later, the panic attack was under control. She allowed herself one minute to cry, then spent the next two cleaning herself up and making it appear that none of it had ever transpired. Five minutes, as promised.

_You can explode into tiny pieces when you get home,_ she told her reflection in the mirror. _For now, Accela needs you to be okay with her decision... because Accela needs it. That's all the reason you gotta have._

So out into the apartment proper she went, where she plastered on a brave face and maintained pleasant conversation. However, when Accela started to indicate she might be up for a trip into the bedroom, Celica headed it off by feigning sleepiness, then remarked that she needed to be home in the morning to receive a phone call. Her feet couldn't carry her home fast enough, because until she reached it, she wouldn't be able to remove the facade of calm.

Which she did the minute she was inside. Clothes were shredded and small objects thrown. A pillow gradually soaked up tear after tear after tear. That night, Celica came dangerously close to reaching for a bottle, but changed direction and ended up with a bottle of pills instead. One, two, three sleeping pills. Then half an hour of uncontrollable sobbing until they kicked in, and she was out like a light until morning. Gratefully.

o o o

"Oh, hey Celica - tell them about your idea?"

"Hmm?" She glanced up from the report she was working on. "What idea?"

"Y'know..." As usual, Accela was not the type of person to steal someone else's thunder, so she merely said, "the one we discussed last night."

"What's this all about, Yayoi?" Integra asked, folding her arms.

Finally, Celica remembered, and nodded wearily. "Oh, right, that; sorry it took me a minute." She forced a smile into place. Really, she felt like moping around in bed all day - especially since she didn't get as much sleep as the pills demanded she get - but that doesn't pay any bills or catch any criminals. The party still might be fun, though, so why not? "Our pool is finally back on its way to working order - and that means the hot tub, too. So, ladies..."

"I'm game," Sylvia spoke up with a shrug. "I could use a nice soak. When would this potential shindig take place?"

"Friday night," Celica informed them. "Unless the contractor punks out, all systems should be go by then."

"Acceptable for me," Integra said mildly, as if it didn't matter one way or the other.

"Should we bring anything?" Sylvia asked.

"Leave all the food to me," Accela said excitedly. "Homemade garden salsa and fresh-baked chips work for everybody?"

"I'll man the margarita machine!"

"It's a dry party," Accela said automatically, then covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh..."

_"Dry party?"_ Sylvia snapped, incensed. "What kind of oxymoron is that?"

"Shh," Accela whispered, "don't-"

"She's trying to make it an alcohol-free affair for my benefit," Celica said flatly, now feeling even more depressed than before, thus making it harder to feign cheerfulness. "Because I'm trying to go sober. Don't worry about it, you guys can drink all you want; I'll be fine."

Both Sylvia and Integra exchanged awkward glances. "Uhh," Sylvia began, "Hey, I was just offering to spring for drinks since Accela's got the eats. They don't have to be alcoholic; I can roll with frozen cherry limeades just as easily."

"I said don't worry," Celica repeated, growing more irritated now. "I refuse to drag down the party with my problems. You can shoot up, smoke up, do whatever, as long as you have a safe ride home."

"Let's please continue to speak as if RUC Security condones recreational drug abuse," Integra muttered sardonically.

Sylvia chuckled. "Okay, okay, just trying to help. Want me to pick you up some near-beer or anything?"

"Ugh," Celica laughed, imaging the putrid taste of the stuff. She also laughed because it was heartening to hear the genuine concern in her coworker's voice. "I'd rather drink cat urine. Seriously, I'm not gonna give in to peer pressure like we're at some lame frat party; I can sit around and sip virgin daiquiris with you guys and be peachy keen. Chill."

"If you're positive," Integra said with a kind smile, "then we won't say another word about it."

"Great," Accela said cheerily, shooting a brief apologetic look Celica's way before saying, "So, anybody have snack requests?"

Already, Celica could feel herself dreading Friday.

o o o

No matter how long the week seemed to last, it couldn't last long enough to keep the day of the party from arriving. It hung over Celica's head like a dark cloud all morning, and pressed in on her as she and Accela tromped back to her apartment to pick up all the necessary items. They were still packing up the food and hardware when Celica got blindsided by yet another startling revelation.

"So guess what? I kinda, sorta, got myself a date."

_"HUH?"_ Celica yelped, spinning around so fast that she knocked over the salsa. "Oh, shit - shit, _shit, SHIT!"_

"Don't worry, hang on!" Accela squeaked, running over to join her. "Let's, um... you know what? These counters are still squeaky clean from before I left for work, so if we just..."

"I'm such a klutz," Celica laughed weakly, mind reeling as she held onto the container while Accela used her (hopefully clean?) hands to shovel as much salsa back inside as she could manage. She had a date. Accela had a _date_ with someone - someone who wasn't her. "There - n-not too much lost, right? I didn't ruin it, right?"

"The girls don't need to know it spilled," she whispered as she rinsed her hands off. "The taste won't have changed any."

"Exactly. So, um... about this date. Give me the five W's, girlfriend - come on, out with it!"

"Well..." There was a pregnant pause as Accela wiped her hands on a towel, cheeks beginning to glow. "The where is Balaklava, that Ukranian restaurant. The when is Saturday night. The who is someone I met in a bar. And the what and why, sheez, that should be pretty obvious so let's skip that part!"

They both had a good laugh at that as they continued packing party supplies. "I think I can fill in the blanks," she tittered, trying to keep the mood light, be supportive. "So, do I get to know the name of this lucky lad?"

Accela opened her mouth to blurt it out excitedly, then closed it again, suddenly hesitant with the information.

"What? You think I'm gonna hunt him down and kick his ass or something? I'm bigger than that."

"I know that," Accela said, but there was a noticeable drop in her excitement. "It's... Garabine."

"What the hell kind of name is that?" she snickered. "Sorry, sorry, I'm not trying to be a bitch, but that one doesn't earn him any points."

"Celica..." Then she frowned. "I was afraid of this. That when I did get around to making a few dates, you'd start bashing them before you even met them."

Now Celica found herself shifting uncomfortably for a whole new reason. "Listen, uh... let's hope I don't meet them. I'm not trying to say I'll cause a scene or eviscerate them, I wouldn't, but... geez, ignorance is bliss, and whatnot."

Accela gave a small nod. "That kinda makes sense, I guess. Anyway, let's get going before the nacho cheese coagulates."

"Mm."

"Hey." As they walked to the door, arms laden down, Accela bumped her hip into Celica. "You don't honestly believe I'm gonna dump you like a hot potato over one date? We're friends for _life_. I'm stuck with Celica, if memory serves."

"Aw, shaddap," she said, unable to keep the smile from her cheeks - no matter how miserable she felt. Scant days, and she was being replaced. It seemed Accela Warrick's experimental phase had come to its inevitable close, and the time had now come for her to resume the previously-scheduled heterosexual dating. At least they'd always have their memories of trysts gone by.

_This is going to be a swell party,_ she thought darkly as they strolled down the sidewalk. _Swell._

o o o

Oddly enough, however, Celica had been wrong about the party. An hour stretched on with no fatalities or ambulance rides. Snacks were eaten, beverages used to wash them down, and some half-hearted swimming was attempted... though far more time was spent in the luxury of the hot tub. Sylvia and Integra had just enough liquor in them to unclench their retentive anuses, but little more than that. Accela was abstaining, out of consideration for the sober friend; in spite of her somber mood, Celica appreciated that. It was nice not to be the _only_ girl poolside who wasn't sloshed. Yes, all in all it was turning out better than she'd expected.

"Listen to them," Accela said under her breath as she and Celica swam lazily. They both shifted their gaze to the hot tub, where the others were guffawing and clinking glasses. "I'd say your pool party is a success."

"Whoopty-doo," she grumbled.

"What's wrong? You're not having fun?"

"Eh," she said with a shrug. "Don't go all 'crusader of the righteousness' on me, but sobriety is a drag."

"Aw, Celica. Seriously, I'd rather you could have a drink or two, as well, but I mean... in the long run, what I'd _really_ prefer is never to come home and find you..."

That was a scary place that they went to, so Celica cleared her throat and hoped to dispel the clammy chill that shot through her by diverting the topic of conversation. "Yyyeah. So, um, I've been meaning to ask, about you and this Garabine dude."

Instantly, Accela was warier. "What is it?"

"Since when do you go bar-hopping to pick up stragglers from the Lonely Hearts Club? I thought that was your least favorite way to mingle."

"Yeah, I totally didn't intend to. It was that night you had the dentist's appointment, remember? I was walking past this little place, and I dunno, it seemed like a quaint spot to check out, and then... oh, I've got goosebumps and it's not even until tomorrow!"

"Do tell. I mean, is he at least hot?"

There was a brief silence during which Accela began floating on her back. "After a fashion, I guess. I thought that part wasn't supposed to matter."

"You're right. Sorry. Just that he'd better be if you're trading in a perfect specimen like me for some cheap boytoy."

"Celica-"

"Okay, okay, shutting up. Wow, you really can't handle me busting your balls, can you?"

"Garabine isn't a 'boytoy', Yayoi," she snapped, still gazing up toward the shimmering curtain of rainbow that the Aurora Shell painted upon the backdrop of twinkling stars. After enjoying this for as long as she could, she followed up with, "And, um, that's because... she isn't a boy in the first place."

"Hmm? She's not? Wait- hold up a second, that means..." The moment Celica's brain caught up with her mouth, she felt her heart sink to somewhere around her knees. "You're going out with another _GIRL?"_

"_Shhh!"_ she hissed as she righted herself, shooting a worried glance at their coworkers. There was no need; they were both too inebriated to notice. "Come on, keep your voice down; this is not the way I'd choose to come out of the closet!"

"Fine, yeah," Celica said, making sure she was whispering now. In truth, at that moment she could give a flying fig about whether or not Accela was outed - but she did recognize that it would probably lead to both of them being exposed with the same breath, which was undesirable no matter how you sliced it. "My bad. But come on, are you insane? After all the stink you've been raising about fooling around with me in the first place, because _I'm_ a woman, and now here you go and-"

"Don't be so mad! I... like I said, I wanted to see what's out there. That is what I said, isn't it?" She considered her words for a moment before continuing, looking so uncomfortable that she might as well have been holding back a fart in a crowded elevator. "Look. I've dated guys. Lots of guys; I mean, most of them I never even rounded first base with, but let's say I've tested that option enough to know there's nothing there for me. But girls... you're the only one. Ever. What if we're only being intimate because it's a smooth transition, because we're already such good friends? I don't want to make some huge mistake, to taint our friendship just because I was, was... _lazy_."

This was some heavy stuff Celica was trying to choke down. Was she serious with all of this? In a flash of light, Accela went from being unsure that she could ever have a lasting relationship with a woman... to wanting to shop around for a few of them, to make sure the one she was with didn't clash with her shoes. In either scenario, Celica came up holding the short end of the stick. It boggled the mind. Would the day ever come when she actually won out against the odds?

"You're mad at me, aren't you? Dammit, but you said-"

"I'm not, Accela, I'm just... surprised," she lied, hoping to end the argument before it began. "Because you didn't tell me he was a guy, I... now I'm kinda caught off guard."

"I'm sorry, I really am," she said, touching Celica's arm briefly. "When you assumed it was a guy, I didn't correct you, because... I was afraid of how you'd react. That was cowardly of me."

It was taking every ounce of determination she possessed, but Celica was miraculously able to mask her frustrations, to keep from screaming bloody murder. "No biggie."

"Come on, let's, uh, let's go back to the hot tub," she offered. "They probably miss us."

"Yeah."

Accela started to paddle over to the side, but then turned back. "You're amazing." One fleeting glance toward the hot tub, and then she turned back and left a gentle peck on her friend's cheek. "I should have known you'd understand. You're such a good person."

And thus arrived the straw that broke the camel's back.

As she watched Accela climb the steps to rejoin their other friends, Celica's blood began to reach the boiling point. She was surprised the water around her wasn't turning to steam. How did the progression of events go again? First, she's not good enough to date, supposedly because she's a woman. Next, she's being changed out - and not for a guy, but _another_ woman; so much for the theoretical reason she's not worth dating. And lastly... the Kiss of Death. Also known as the Eternal Kiss of Just Friends. A fleeting, childish peck on the cheek. The same kind you give to your grandmother. Oh yeah - true romance lies there. And when paired with a coddling phrase like "You're such a good person..."

_How dare you, Accela Warrick,_ she fumed as she dragged herself from the blue waters. _How dare you discard me. Or have you even figured out that's what you're doing yet? Probably not. Probably got your head so far up your own ass that you can't even see the hilt protruding from my back - the one attached to the knife you planted there. Why? Why can't I hold your attention? Why would you give me the brush-off?_

_And why would you do it for some tramp with a ridiculous name like Garabine?_

o o o

"Celica, hey," Sylvia crowed. The difference in her demeanor when under the influence was the greatest among all four of them; all her snippiness and attention to detail from the office vanished without trace. "You've been missing all the fun!"

"Oh, really?" she replied, carefully slipping into the roiling waters so as not to spill her woefully-virgin daiquiri. "I'll just bet."

"We were just talking about my newest plan to bridle that elusive Lynx."

"Do tell." Her patience already worn thin from her anger at Accela, she asked in a saccharine voice, "And would this plan entail, I dunno... actually telling him how you feel this time?"

Sylvia missed the note of disdain. "If all goes as planned, I won't even have to. He'll be putty in my hands."

"Like we haven't heard that before," Integra mumbled.

"No, seriously, you should come right out and tell him," Celica pressed, leaning back and wishing the hot water would spontaneously cook them all alive and end this stupid party already. "Go up to him and spill, lay it all on the line. If he digs you, he'll respond. If not, at least you put it out there and you won't spend your whole life wishing you'd tried."

Everyone was blinking at her now. Finally, Sylvia coughed and said, "Yeah, easy for you to say. And... I have tried that. Okay? But every time I got him to myself for a minute, by the time I actually built up a head of steam to even approach the subject, he gets called away by this or that pressing duty. That's half the problem; he's a busy guy. And even worse, sometimes someone else charges in, wants to know what we're talking about. What else can I say but that I meant to ask him about some stupid report?"

"You could just tell him anyway." Celica felt so reckless that it was somewhat liberating. "Tell whoever's interrupting to buzz off, then finish your conversation."

"It's not that simple," Accela whispered, even though all four of them were within whisper-hearing range - and the next-nearest living body was behind the foot-thick walls of Yayoi Manor. "He's her superior officer, remember?"

"Big friggin' deal. Why let that stop you?"

"Not that I ought to need remind you," Integra said, mostly to Celica now, "but RUC has a strict no-fraternization policy; I mean, I wouldn't dream of turning in any coworker for it myself, but if some brown-noser with an agenda catches Sylvia and the director together in such a fashion..."

"Yeah, she has to be careful about who sees," Accela said softly. "She wouldn't want to get fired over something like this."

_Really, now?_ Celica thought bitterly to herself. _So... the pursuit of a true soulmate isn't worth getting fired over, huh? Of course not. Obviously, soulmates are a dime a dozen, but a JOB, oh WELL - those only come along once in a lifetime! Any chimpanzee with his thumb up his nose can see that! Maybe that's why you traded me in for Gara-whatever; I can't get you fired if we're not dating. How perfect! I'm glad to see you've found a convenient compromise, even if it means I have to suffer eternal loneliness. But don't you worry about that, because you not getting axed from RUC is all that matters!_

"I know, I love my career. But to be honest... I wouldn't be too disappointed trading in the title of Officer Ban for that of Mrs. Lynx."

While the other three girls tittered, Celica felt her pulse surging through her veins as she fought to control her rage. How dare she lament her problems when she actually _could_ become Mrs. Lynx, no social stigma to combat, no family to convince that this wasn't a whopping mistake? And there was Accela, nodding along as if this was all fine and well, as if Sylvia was right to put the typical heterosexual marriage above her livelihood and self-respect. Accela, who was so concerned with appearances, with how everyone would react if they turned up participating in an unconventional relationship - who worried about getting fired more than losing the person you value most. Everything and everyone was setting her off right now, and at the root of that problem was Accela. It was highly doubtful there was anything she could say besides "I love you" that wouldn't be inflammatory. Celica was outraged at having been treated this way - and after all her patience, after waiting around for weeks to have her feelings returned! Was this how she was to be repaid? She wanted justice for her broken heart. She wanted vengeance.

"You just have to pick your moment," Accela was reassuring the blonde. "If you pay attention, I'm sure you'll find a time when you can flip his switch - and sneak it in right under the other employees' noses."

A crafty, sinister smile played across Celica's lips. _Why my dearest Accela, that's a fabulous idea. Right under their noses, you say? I love it - and I won't even have to wait for work on Monday._

She was about to get her vengeance. Right now.

Slowly, hampered by the displacement of the water molecules, she allowed her leg to drift upward through the water. Accela was directly across from her, wasn't she? This was going to be effortless.

"You're so right," Celica said in falsely nice tones. "Subtlety is best. Now... what was your plan?"

"Alright," Sylvia began as she swirled the contents of her drink. "You remember those silver chain necklaces Ashley gave us at the last Appreciation Day Office Gala, don't you?"

"Of course. We all got one."

"Yeah. So here's what I'm thinking. It'll be hard to pick a good time and place for this, but with enough research, it shouldn't be too difficult."

"Mm," Celica prompted as she sipped at her daiquiri. Ooh, how the strawberries set off the delicious taste of her pending comeuppance. Nothing could have complemented it better.

"I wait until I know he's on his way, and then I drop the necklace in the hall, right? Let's say I dart behind something, or maybe into an empty room. I lie in wait for him to happen by, like a tiger, crouched and ready to pounce on its prey."

"Oooh, prey; I like that." And by no coincidence was that the moment Accela's eyebrows shot upward. Neither Sylvia nor Integra noticed her glance down into the churning water, perplexed; the bubbles on its surface were too frothy and white for anything to be visible down there. Meanwhile, Celica pretended not to notice any of this, either. "What next?"

"I pray that Ashley picks it up; it'll be hard to miss, a shining silver piece of jewelery in a deserted hallway. When he does, I appear from wherever and run up and say, 'Thank God, you found it!'"

"Hallelujah!" Celica giggled. She was having plenty of fun now. "But you have to have something prepared to say, something better than that."

"Oh?" Sylvia curled her lip. "And what do _you_ suggest, Miss Perfect Dating Track Record?"

"Well, let's see... 'I've been looking everywhere for it, you have no idea! See... when you lose something so irreplaceable, you never know how far you'll go to make sure it comes back to you.'"

Across from her, a slight touch of alarm slowly began to creep into Accela's features, and she again sent a worried glance down at the bubble-obscured surface of the waters before snapping her eyes up to the girl across the way. But Celica completely ignored the questioning looks, pretending to be fully absorbed in her conversation with Sylvia. Even though most of her responses were aimed in another direction entirely.

"That's not bad, actually," Sylvia conceded, draining the rest of her drink. "It lets him know how much I cherish his gift. Kudos. What else, anything?"

"Hmm... make sure you smile." She sent a huge beaming grin across the tub. Accela did not smile back. In fact, she looked far from happy. "Smile at him, but wait until the right moment. Timing is everything."

Just then, Accela spasmed, eyes widening as she glanced between Integra and Sylvia, hoping they would not notice. Luckily, they didn't. When she caught Celica's eye briefly, her hand appeared and waved back and forth - the universal sign for "cut that out and/or go away". Neither of which Celica felt like doing at the moment. She was enjoying herself too thoroughly.

"You think I should touch him at all? Or is that too forward?"

"No, by all means, touch - it should keep things interesting."

"Celic-_UHT!"_ Accela had been about to try to dissuade her somehow, but an unexpected advancement of her plan had caused the redhead's mouth to fly open, her eyelids to flutter. Desperately, she shifted her weight from one hip to the other, hoping to escape this unholy persecution in such close proximity to innocent bystanders, but there truly was nowhere to run. In spite of her anger and the cold revenge upon which she dined, now a slight exhilaration found Celica. How could she not get worked up? Accela certainly was.

"Mmm," Celica moaned as she drained her glass. "Strawberries."

"Did you say something?" Integra asked Accela with some concern.

"No," she panted weakly, hands white-knuckling on the edge of the hot tub as she shuddered. "I, uh... nope, not a peep."

"Maybe you should get off," Celica said easily. The withering look she received from Accela only gave her more glee - especially because the poor thing was too distracted by other matters to really sell it.

"Huh?" Sylvia asked her. "Get off?"

"I meant, 'get _out_', of course," she laughed innocently, wincing slightly when she felt two legs windmilling around her one, trying to beat her back, stop her persistent assault. A futile effort. "Because of the heat. It's burning up in here, isn't it, Accela?"

Integra frowned at Celica as Accela shook as silently as possible, able to briefly drop her control while only Celica's eyes were pointed in her direction, safe from notice for the time being. "You did say 'get off' the first time."

"Sorry," she replied innocently, watching Accela's eyes grow wider and wider as her back arched; almost... "Slip of the... _tongue._"

Her tongue wasn't the only thing that slipped.

_"AIIHH!"_

Accela shot to her feet, swaying noticeably. A few seconds passed as she took deep, steadying breaths, ran the tip of her own tongue over her upper lip. When she noticed all three sets of eyes on her, she fidgeted and said, "I- that is- she d-didn't- I have to go."

"Where do you have to go?" Integra wanted to know.

"T-to the bathroom, silly," she laughed mildly, twitching. "Where, uh, where did you think? B-be right back."

As Integra and Sylvia were exchanging a mystified glance, Celica watched her best friend's retreating back like a hawk. The way it shuddered as her legs stumbled and nearly buckled meant the sniper had yet again nailed her target; Accela had not dragged herself from the hot tub early enough.

_Too bad,_ she thought smugly. _I wondered if you'd have the willpower to bounce in time to escape my wrath. Looks like you didn't. Sorry._

Unfortunately, when her friend didn't return from the bathroom for well over ten minutes and Sylvia voiced some concern for her well-being, Celica did begin to feel sorry. The remorse was like a bitter aftertaste in her mouth after a delicious meal; she'd truly enjoyed taking out all her pent-up aggravations that had been eating away at her for weeks - on the source of said aggravation, no less. Still... it was Accela. She'd done something she promised she wouldn't and perpetrated things on Accela without her permission. Maybe the fickle tart _had_ earned a little taste of payback, but did it justify breaking a promise?

"Sorry, guys," Accela said as she slid back into the tub. "I think I ate something funny for lunch."

"That's too bad," Integra remarked. "Come up the wrong way?"

"Nah, nothing like that - just some discomfort."

And on that very word, Celica felt a horrible, stabbing pain - one so intense and sharp that it blotted out all pleasure from the initial contact. What on earth _was_ that?

But when she met Accela's cold, burning eyes, she knew. That was _her_ payback. Now so much more than before - and not because of the foot-jab in a sensitive area - she regretted her rash miscarriage of justice. Unable to stop it due to the combined physical and emotional agony, twin tears fell from her eyes. "Sorry," she mouthed, completely browbeaten by the steely gaze, utterly repentant. But there was no undoing the damage. It was way too late.

Accela then did the only thing that could have been worse than continue to glare at her friend: she turned her head and looked away. In fact, she did not look at Celica for longer than an instant over the remainder of the party. It was all both of them could do to keep up appearances and gossip with their other friends. Faking it now was like being dragged over hot coals, over and over and over.

o o o

"So."

It was the first thing either of them truly said to each other after the incident in the hot tub, and it was spoken by Accela as they watched Sylvia and Integra board the bus and disappear around the corner, still hammered.

"So," Celica echoed.

"Try it."

"Try what?"

"Go on, try it. Try whatever pathetic excuse you're going to try. I'm waiting."

Celica sighed. "What do you want me to say, here? Sorry? Is that gonna help?"

Accela shook her head from side to side as she stormed back through the gate toward the poolhouse. "Wow, I thought you'd do a better job than that, at least."

"Accela, there's not much that can be-"

"You took _advantage_ of me!" she hissed, eyes streaming. "With people sitting _right there!"_ When she flung her arm in the direction of the hot tub, Celica almost half expected to see herself and Accela sitting in it, to have to witness from afar what she had so heinously done. "What the devil was that? Some new step in my journey of womanhood, or whatever it was?"

"Shut up. You liked it."

The way her jaw dropped open spoke to the contrary, even before her words echoed the sentiment. "The hell I did! Since when do we have some unwritten understanding that because we've fooled around a few times, you can do whatever you want to me, whenever you want? Any second, they could have figured out what you were doing, and then what would we have said?"

Celica laughed weakly. "You know what? I don't even have the energy for this. So go home, Accela."

"You had damn well better find the energy, or I'll report you."

That statement echoed like the sounding of a bell at the fights. Round one. Celica turned slowly from the path she had slowly been following back to the main house, eyes sparking. "Say that again."

"I'll report you, I mean it. What you did counts as assault."

"Shove it, you floozy!" she snapped. "You're really going to get me on a technicality, just because we're both RUC and you can claim our relationship was non-consensual? We're on equal footing, I don't outrank you - we'd _both_ get fired! Or weren't you paying attention to Integra's little refresher course?"

"You _idiot!"_ It was dangerously close to a scream, and Celica flinched. "You really think I'd pull that kind of petty crap? I meant because you knew _damn well_ it wasn't an appropriate time, when I was making it clear that I didn't desire what you were offering at the moment! You forced me to put up with it, I had no choice but to go along - and in front of an audience! You're lucky neither of them was sober enough to see what was happening!"

"So what if they did? Oh, wait, I forgot - it's much more important we not get _fired_ than, oh, just about anything else!"

_"Why?"_ Accela demanded, hands balled into fists. "Don't I get to know why? Tell me! Why did you do this? Why in God's name would you hurt me like this?"

"Because you're hurting me!" After several heaving breaths, Celica kept babbling, even though she knew she sounded like a whiny, petulant child. "Every day you ignore my feelings, you relegate them to the back-burner, while I'm being eaten _alive!_ And then you pat me on the head and say 'good dog' and expect me to roll over and play dead while you run around playing matchmaker, banging girls named Garfield or whatever!"

"Garabine!"

"Gara_WHOGIVESASHIT?"_

_"I DO!"_ she shouted back, a volume coming out of her tiny, redheaded body that blew Celica back a few feet. "This is _my life,_ not yours! Stop trying to control me, like some pet project! 'Look, kids, grow your own lesbian in eight easy steps!' Well, congratulations - you made one, you succeeded in your tireless efforts! So don't act so surprised when she wants to go out and do what lesbians do - y'know, date women!"

"But you weren't supposed to date women!" Celica could feel her airways restricting, her chest closing up - another panic attack. "You were s-suppos- o-oh-"

The words that wouldn't emerge from her mouth echoed fruitlessly within her mind: _You were supposed to date ME._

"Oh, what? What is it now, you selfish bitch? Got anything else you want to accuse me of, so you can feel all justified when you _assault _me with a stick in the middle of town?"

It was all too much for Celica; she couldn't simultaneously explain her frustration at being rejected, profess her love, and apologize for her odious deed in the hot tub. The fact that her body was shutting down also presented an obstacle. She stumbled, nearly fell, but managed to reach the side of the house and lean against it with her head and one arm. Finally, with her last ounce of strength, she wheezed, "Get off my property. Leave... leave me alone."

_"Excuse_ me? Wait..." And then two hands were on her back. "Celica, you're- you sound like- what's the matter?"

"I s-said _GO!"_ she half-growled, half-sobbed. The gentle touch that would typically have lightened every burden she carried now only seared her flesh. "Just... just leave me be. I can't even look at you right now, I... you make me sick. Get out of my life before my heart gives out completely. If you even care."

"Wha- what!" Those were more gasps than they were words. An agonizing minute passed with nobody moving, nothing happening, just Celica fighting for every breath that she could suck into her lungs. Then she felt herself being guided up the steps to the back door, steadily and with the utmost care. She was there for a long while before the thought broke through to the surface; she was alone.

"A... Accela?"

But Accela was no longer on her property.

o o o TO BE CONTINUED o o o


	7. Chapter 7

o o o CHAPTER SEVEN o o o

It was several days before anyone saw Celica. She sequestered herself in her bedroom, only coming out to have dinner with her family - during which she was unusually reserved. The rest of the day, she didn't eat, and hardly slept. Mostly, she just screamed, cried, and stared at the wall. Sometimes all at once.

Finally, she woke up one morning and loathed everything she'd been doing for the past few days with such venom that she decided to go out. Thus, she did her morning exercises, then showered and dressed. There was still no possible way she could show her face at the office, but there had to be something else to do in the city. As she was out walking aimlessly, she got a call - it was Sylvia. She answered.

"Yello?"

"Are you okay?" Sylvia asked nervously. "I mean, geez, you don't even bother to show up to work for two days."

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Sorry if you guys had to pick up the slack."

A sigh. "That's not important. Accela told us what happened."

"She _what?"_

"Uh... she said you two had a fight, and that at the end of it you looked like you were having some kind of attack. She, um, guessed that might be why you couldn't come in to work."

"Oh." Celica found a nearby lamppost and leaned heavily against it. "That's the story, alright."

"Don't worry, she didn't give us any details. But, I mean, if you wanted t-"

"Forget it, you busybody," she half-laughed. "It's pretty damn personal."

"Whatever. But, um... I think Integra is going to want you to see a doctor."

"Oh, for the love of-"

"Don't shoot the messenger. Come on, Yayoi, if you're having attacks it might be your Proceed going haywire, or it could be any number of-"

"I'm fit as a fiddle," she protested. "And my next physical is in a month, anyway. I'm sure if I can manage to survive until then, they'll find out what's wrong with me - which will be _nothing_, I'm sure. So mind your own business."

There was a long pause as her friend and coworker tried to accept that she would in no way be able to force Celica to do anything about it against her will. Finally, she sighed and said, "Well, if you're going to be so bullheaded... when can we expect to see you down here again?"

"Maybe tomorrow. No, scratch that - I'll be in tomorrow morning, nine sharp. Count on it."

"Okay," she laughed. "That sounds more like the Celica we all know and love. See ya then."

"Later."

As Celica hung up, she wondered at that last part. "The Celica we all know and love". Did Accela still count among the "we", or had she withdrawn her membership? Maybe so. Despite all their bitter words, she covered for her, provided an excuse for her absence so she wouldn't lose her job just because she was wallowing in her own misery. The part she'd been agonizing over the most was that even while they were trying to tear each other's heads off with sound waves, the very instant a panic attack had started overtaking her, Accela rushed to her aid, trying to determine if there was anything she could do. And now, a part of her regretted sorely that she hadn't let her - hadn't accepted her care with open arms and buried the animosity of the moment before. But no. Too late for that alternate chain of events, now.

Still, getting the call from Sylvia proved that she wasn't scorned and despised outright. Better than nothing.

The day drifted by as Celica kicked around the shopping district. She did a few things she'd never bothered to before: listened to a street performer clumsily abuse the guitar, played on a jungle gym for the first time in eleven years, bummed a cigarette off a stranger and made casual conversation while they smoked. She took in a movie - a comedy she would typically have scorned for being yet another dumb flick and passed it over for something with a little more action. But it made her laugh, over and over she laughed. It felt good.

None of these could erase the ache in her heart, which stayed with her even as she returned home and ate dinner. Still, it did ease the ache, made it less overshadowing. She took a single sleeping pill late in the evening, and did not wake until her alarm went off. She felt refreshed, rejuvenated - like a brand new Celica Yayoi. One who didn't need alcohol, or vengeance... and maybe didn't even need Accela. However, that would remain to be seen.

o o o

"Morning, all."

"Welcome back, prodigal dork," Sylvia announced, not looking up from her terminal. "You back in functioning form?"

"Yeah," she sighed wearily. "I dunno, I was in a funk or whatever. But I feel great now - don't even know what was bothering me."

"Really?" Accela asked, also not looking up. But Celica didn't respond. She wasn't ready to get into all that yet.

"Eh." She pulled a few papers toward her and immediately launched herself into a few reports, started trawling databases. Normally, she'd have already been seeking ways to slack off, but she figured she'd been slacking for two days straight. It was time to make up for it.

For one day, at least.

Eventually, a call came in that four ne'er-do-wells with Resemble parts were terrorizing city hall, spouting off about unregistered citizens and taxpayer dollars and whatnot. No matter how much Special Security sympathized with their plight, they simply could not be allowed to put the lives of innocent people in danger to further their agendas. So it was time to go to work.

"Celica, I want you up on that roof to pick off escapees," Integra commanded, motioning with a ramrod-straight arm. "Non-lethal rounds unless the situation progresses. Sylvia, Accela and I will infiltrate."

"I should stay by Celica," Accela volunteered. "It might be wise to have an on-ground safety net."

"Noted. Keep your eyes peeled."

As the other two began moving toward the building's entrances, Accela and Celica made a beeline for the low building where Celica could set up her rifle and keep an eye on their target.

"So, you ready to level with me?"

"About what?" Celica asked. "And is your hailing frequency set to one-on-one communication?"

"Is yours?"

Celica let out a blast of laughter as she took a leap, using her rockets to alight upon the roof. "Point taken, computer expert. Level with you about what?"

"You know. What happened to you before I left the party. That was... scary."

"Oh, that," she said mildly as she zoomed the scope on the doorway. "Hey, make sure you keep both eyes on the wide-angle, since I'm narrowing my focus."

"Roger." A second passed in silence. "Does this mean you don't feel like talking about it?"

"What? It was no biggie."

"You looked like you were having a heart attack, Celica. That qualifies as a biggie in my book."

"Oh, stop pretending you're really worried about me and that you don't just want to be kept in the loop. Curiosity killed the cat, y'know."

Suddenly, Accela was kneeling beside her, one hand resting on her arm. "I was worried. I have been."

"We are on the job, officer," Celica barked, trying for authoritative and ending up with crabby. "This can wait."

"Tell me. Right now, tell me, because I want to know if I should be reporting it."

"Stop that!" she snapped. "Stop threatening to report me about everything! Is your first instinct always going to be tattling to teacher?"

"Celica," she hissed, voice breaking a bit, "I can't even sleep knowing you might have some kind of... some condition that could turn you into a vegetable at any moment. Can't you appreciate that? What if we could have done something, but we're too late because you refuse to be forthcoming about it?"

"Then I'll die. Now let me concentrate or I could miss the shot."

"No! No, no, I don't want you to die!"

It was all Celica could do to bite back the remark in her mind: _Maybe if I did, you and Miss Galaga can make kissy-kissy noises all you want without fretting about how I'm going to take it._ But bite it back she did. "I'm not gonna die. I'm fine, it was just... too much was going on. I took a few days to get my head straight. That's it, that's the whole sad story."

A minute stretched by as they heard a few ominous bangs sounding within city hall, crouching and waiting for their assistance to be necessary. Then Accela said, "Okay. But I have another question."

"Oh, for the- seriously? You seriously will not leave me alone about the stupid party?"

"Those things you said to me at the end. When you were- I mean, before I left. Did you mean them?"

Celica rolled her eyes - not that Accela could see that through her visor. "Like I even remember what I said. I was upset."

"You said that I make you sick," she sobbed, all too crystal clear over the audio feed in her helmet. "That you want me out of your life before... before I wind up killing you. Please tell me that's not how you feel."

"Accela-"

"Because if you do, I'll back off completely. I mean it, I don't want to b-be the one who- if you up and-"

"Forget it," Celica soothed, despite how little she felt like pampering her teammate. "I was freaked out, I snapped, and I started saying whatever I thought would get you to leave me alone. Because whatever I said or meant, that was what I needed. Alone time." She let a few heartbeats pass before adding, "And I'm sorry I got so nasty. You didn't deserve it."

"Apology accepted." There were a few loud sniffing noises, and then the audio link was severed. When Celica swiveled her helmet to cast a glance at Accela, all she saw was a soldier in a Proceed suit, gazing evenly at the target below. The picture of duty. Any outside observer would never know Celica was brooding and Accela was weeping.

There was another blast, and Celica turned to gaze through her scope. A man with a briefcase and a gun leapt through the door, Resemble legs gleaming in the sunlight. With barely a nanosecond's time to sight him, she squeezed the trigger and brought him down.

"Nice shot," Accela whispered.

"That's what they pay me the big bucks for. Um, thanks."

"Now I feel like I'm not earning my keep," she went on, half-laughing. "But... um."

"You do know I get that the only reason we're up here together is because you wanted a private word, right? I'm not a total airhead."

Another laugh; wow, she was feeling a lot better after their semi-productive chat. "I know. And... and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Garabine right away, I'm sorry I've been all over the place, and-"

"Enough."

"And I'm sorry I kicked you and yelled at you." A few steadying breaths carried over the radio waves. "That was kind of... childish."

"No more childish than what I did in the hot tub. I... can't explain that away, not to make it sound rational or anything. I'm kind of a pig."

"You told me already. Remember? You s-said you were in pain. Because of me, because I changed the game on you all of a sudden."

Celica forced herself to chuckle. "Is that what I said? Man, what a whiny toddler I can be sometimes."

"Hey, don't do that to yourself. You have every right to be mad, to have feelings. But obviously I can't help you with them if you don't open up." The note of sadness lessened as she went on, "Of course, I'm not going to say you have the right to punish me for them. And I'd never say you can use _that_ as a punishment, it's way out of bounds."

"I already apologized," she sighed. "And if you want to keep bringing it up all the time, then we're going to have a problem, because I already feel like a bucket of diarrhea for that. Stop rubbing it in."

"Last time, I promise," Accela told her softly. "As long as we both agree that it can't happen again. Not something like that."

A lump formed in Celica's throat as she tried not to think too hard about what she'd done. In the end, she decided the conversation had been grave for long enough. "Not unless you want it to."

"Oh my God, Celica, no way!"

"Come on," she said with a hint of humor in her tone. "Okay, I realize I should have asked in the first place, but you can't deny there was something... intriguing about it. Getting away with murder right in front of those two? Reminded me of when we kissed while working on the response unit; I mean, the danger of being caught made it so..."

"Gross," Accela finished for her, but she wasn't truly upset. It seemed the stalemate had reached an end for the two comrades. "For the record, I'm hoping you weren't contemplating taking turns or anything!"

"Would you have liked that? Next time, you can reach your own little toes across and-"

_"CELICA!"_

"No, perish the thought," she cackled, grateful that nobody else could hack their two-way communication. "Though toward the end, I started thinking about joining in... I mean, you looked so unbelievably appetizing; those red apple-cheeks, your body wriggling around like a worm on a hook..."

"I swear to God, Celica-"

"Ever think about getting frisky in our Proceed suits?"

The sharp reprimand that followed wasn't as effective when the embarrassment in Accela's voice made her stutter.

o o o

A pattern began to emerge in the following days. Celica could not bring herself to set foot in the apartment; she was up front about it, letting her friend know that she felt a reprieve from each other (outside work, at least) would be in their best interests. After all, it was these high-running emotions and instances of heartbreak warfare that had put so much strain on them in the first place. Maybe they could pick up where they left off eventually, but for now it was prudent that they get back to being friends before attempting anything else.

At the same time, however, Celica started what could only be called harassing Accela while they were on the job. Any spare moment that there were no ears around, she was whispering sweet nothings - or savory nothings. It was a wonder Accela's face was ever its normal hue instead of several shades ruddier. And while she playfully asked her to stop, and gasped in all the right places, she never again threatened to report her over it; this was merely the seedy underbelly of workplace banter. Until Celica tried to push her buttons at an inopportune time, it was an acceptable alternative to fighting... or making up before they were ready. Thus, the dirty talk continued.

Most frustrating for Accela was the fact that Celica used this as a device to divert the topic of conversation away from weightier concerns, like her health, or their fractured egos. Accela would bring it up, hoping to make some true headway, and would find her ear being blown on, or a decadent notion raised. It wasn't so much that Celica wanted to avoid discussing these things - though she did, desperately - but moreover, she knew that the minute she settled in to really examine what had transpired, to pick it apart and scrutinize, she might have another panic attack, or worse yet start screaming at Accela until one or both of them wound up sobbing in the corner. Was keeping the peace so bad? She didn't think so.

Eventually, Accela stopped trying. It was difficult for her, but she was forced to accept that Celica needed time to heal before she was ready to confront the dark places they had both gone to. But until such a point, what else was she to do?

o o o

_I will go in,_ Celica was commanding herself. _There's nothing stopping me; I am my own woman. I can do whatever I want. Just like now; one foot in front of the other..._

But when she was within ten feet of the club's bouncer, she turned away. _No!_ her inner voice shouted. _Don't be a pussy! You can do it! Why should you require the company of a friend to venture inside a fine establishment such as this? Anybody is welcome. So let yourself cut loose for once, live in the moment._

Even so, her feet were heavy as she reached the man. He looked over her shoulder, shrugged, and stepped back to let her through. Now there was no turning back.

The music was loud and discordant, and the lights flashed in dizzying patterns. Neon lights led one straight to the bar, but Celica forced herself to ignore them; that was unnecessary. Alcohol was not a prerequisite for fun. With sheer determination, she guided her platform heels onto the dance floor, moving just enough to seem in the groove. Oh, Celica could dance - she could dance rings around all her friends without even trying. These days it just took a little prodding to get her limbs to do it when her heart wasn't fully invested.

A guy in a turquoise suit jacket was gyrating with her now. He was of the minimalist school; a few tried-and-true steps to get him by. When Celica really got a head of steam built up, he stepped back, impressed with her ability and knowhow; body parts wound up in positions that were theoretically impossible. After a few minutes, she settled into a more modest show of her talents, allowing him to slip in closer...

"So, what's your sign?"

_Ugh,_ she thought. _Well, that killed it._ "Stop."

"What, what'd I do?"

"No - _STOP_ sign. Get it?"

"That's pretty good," he laughed once he picked up on the joke. "I got another one for you. Why did the chick cross the road?"

"I give up," she said as she flipped around, grinding her shoulders into his chest. "Why?"

"To get to me."

She winced, but laughed for his benefit. As his hands glided over her upper arms, the fingertips brushed her chest, and she said, "Maybe you're new here, but that's not quite how we do it. Let me show you."

He let out an embarrassed gust when she darted around behind him, effectively turning him into the lady and her into the lead. Then, as her hands moved past his elbows, he turned and caught them. "Sorry, girl, but all this movement has got me ready to pop. Want to have our own private dance party?"

"Where did you have in mind, tiger?"

"My place. It's only two blocks down."

"I got a better location," she cooed throatily, fishing into her cleavage - and coming back up with her badge. "Lockup. I'll bring the handcuffs."

"Whoa," he said, holding both hands up in the universal sign for surrender. "Too rich for my blood."

"Hey."

Both of them turned to see a tall, Nordic woman with flame tattoos on her arms and a spiked mohawk glaring down at them. For a split second, Celica was sure they were both going to be forcibly ejected from the premises. Then, she turned to the guy and said, "I'm cutting in. Got a problem with that?"

"Uh, n-no," he said nervously; though he had an inch or two on her, considering he was no runt still put her near six feet. Even Celica found herself intimidated, especially with the added height of the mohawk. "She's all yours - if she's like that."

"I play interleague," Celica told him with a wink. "Don't worry about me, pal."

Though she doubted he got what she meant, he shrugged in a "can't win 'em all" fashion and pushed his way through the crowd, already in search of his next target.

"Tell me if I misread the situation, but you clearly wanted him gone, Miss Interleague," the Amazonian punker said as they resumed dancing.

"Good eyes," Celica laughed. "Thanks for the assist."

"You didn't really need it," she said, bending low and then running her jawline along Celica's torso as she stood - close enough to brush clothing without really touching. It was more intimate than Celica was prepared for, but not a true breach of personal space. Not out on the floor. "Just thought I'd speed the process. That was a badge I saw, right?"

"Yep; I'm RUC. Hope you don't have a problem with cops."

"Not unless they're on my tail," she laughed. "I get profiled a lot as a 'potential safety risk' or whatever. It's the hair."

Celica nodded as she allowed her partner to give her a twirl. "Plenty of prudes on the force. Not my fault, I'm not in charge of hiring _or_ training."

"Bet if you were, this city would be less constricting and more exciting."

At this, Celica couldn't help but feel a blush coming on, but she stamped it out. No need to get overly flustered; she was just some girl in a club, and they were only dancing. Besides, she had enough baggage without taking on any more. "Maybe so. Um... look, I don't want to assume anything or act like I'm hot shit, but I, uh, I'm not here looking for anything other than busting some moves. Self-imposed dating sabbatical."

"Oh, don't even sweat it," the woman said, gliding her hands along Celica's arms the way it was supposed to be done - without fondling anything. "Part of me thinks that's a crying shame, but I'm actually here with someone."

"Yeah?" she asked, a smile of mingling bashfulness and relief playing across her mouth. How on earth was she giving off such a strong lesbian vibe when she was, for all intents and purposes, a straight girl? "Then why are you grinding with me?"

"She's in the can."

"Ah." _SHE._ At least Celica hadn't been off the mark in regards to the woman's orientation. Celica deftly donned the cap of the battle-hardened lesbian that she in no way was, intrigued at the possibility of becoming a temporary part of a culture she normally would never have experienced. Still, was it even a lie? After Accela, maybe she did have her honorary "trainee card". That thought gave her momentary pause, but she shrugged it off. The night was young; there was no reason the two of them couldn't flirt for a while. "Do I need to worry? Is she the... jealous type?"

"Even if she is, I've no regrets. It's just dancing. On the other hand, she's definitely not the type you ditch when the next shiny object passes by."

Celica blinked. "You sound kind of serious about her."

"Maybe." The music died as the DJ took a break to announce someone's headlights were on in the parking lot, so she stopped and wiped her brow. Celica's eyes automatically went to the droplets running down into the cleavage of her leather bodice, but she forced them up; that way lies damnation. "I dunno... sorry, I don't wanna drag everything down by sounding like a total girl, but..."

"But what?"

A quick shrug. She headed off toward the bar, and Celica followed; she could be near it without drinking. She _could_. And anyway, she was involved in a conversation with a potential new friend, so it was worth expending the additional resolve. As said new friend dropped onto a stool and rapped her knuckles on the counter, she said, "Sure you care enough to listen? I'm nobody to you."

"None of us are nobody to each other," Celica laughed as she started to hop onto her own stool. A fluttering at the back of her stomach came into being when she found her hand was being held; this imposing punker had helped her into her seat, almost without giving it a thought. The glow settling all over her was the glow of being doted on; it was nice and a touch exhilarating. "Um..." It was inevitable that she flushed, but she tried to hide it by tucking a strand of hair behind her ear - before she realized that was even more flirty. "Y-yeah, so you were saying?"

The woman flashed her a knowing smirk - the kind that showed she'd picked up on Celica's quickening pulse - before she turned to the bartender and held up two fingers. Since the man nodded and moved off to fetch the drink, Celica assumed she must be a regular. "Well, it's like this. I'm into this girl. Amazing, funny, smart, whole package; like I said, the kind you hang onto if at all possible. Don't know her that well yet, but we're making progress. It's just..."

"Let me guess; she's straight." Then Celica clapped her hands together. "Oh, wait, even better - _married_. God, I hate that one."

"Practically. Far as I can figure - since she won't come clean about it - there was this unhealthy breakup in her past, and she's been trying to hop back on the horse, but... I mean, it's not like we haven't been there, right?" The elbow that nudged hers told Celica that the punker was already assuming they had both burned their way through dozens of women and had seen it all. Mentally, Celica just substituted her experiences with men; they were pretty much all the same type of sleazebags, anyway. "Shit gets messy, and you kind of shut down so you don't get maligned again. I dunno. I wanna hang around her, hope she finds a way to move on, but she's shaping up to be the 'I'll never be over her' type."

Celica nodded. "Permanent crush on the ex. You think she was the dump_ee_ instead of the dump_er?_"

"That would make sense. Not that I'm judging either way, but... there's only so long you can wait for somebody when you know it'll never be long enough, and you bow out gracefully. Sure hope this isn't one of those times, though; it'd be a real pity. It really would." Then, to Celica's surprise, two drinks arrived. "It's gee-and-tee. Unless you have a preference?"

"I, uh... I'm not drinking. Tonight."

The heavily-eyelined peepers squinted at her for a long moment, and Celica was just beginning to feel creeped out when she sat back and nodded. "What step are you on? Must be an early one, like three or four - since you're still pretending you're only not drinking _tonight_."

"I'm not in AA, actually," Celica laughed, amazed at how insightful this woman was. Maybe she had been wasting her time batting for the wrong team all along if gems like this were out there. "Personal decision, all by myself. Part of the 'Re-Inventing Me' campaign."

"Big girl," she said, impressed. "But then again, I get it; you're a cop. Used to handling the rough stuff without leaning on anybody for support. That's respectable." When the bartender passed again, she held up her thumb and middle finger, making a circle with them.

"What's that? You two seem to have your own lingo down."

For the first time, the stranger grinned, and Celica was dazzled by the whiteness of her teeth. "Bitter lime. It's 'zero', see? As in 'zero alcohol'. The two was for my favorite cocktail, which you now know - just in case you need to file that away for later. One is a beer. Three is a French Connection for when I'm waxing all bittersweet. And the middle finger is for a double-shot of bourbon, neat."

Celica was still trying not to be discombobulated by the "file that away for later" comment when she asked, "Why the middle finger?"

"Because that's what I drink when life sucks."

They were both laughing their heads off when the designated-driver special arrived. Celica had it raised to her lips when she thought she heard her own name, which didn't surprise her - until she remembered that she and her acquaintance had never exchanged names. As a matter of fact, she didn't know a single person at this club.

"Celica, what are you doing here?"

As she slowly lowered the glass, heart freezing in mid-beat, she only had enough time to register the sight of the redhead's outraged features before she heard the punker on the stool say, "Accela."

Three pairs of eyes shifted between each other, momentarily confused. Then, Celica put two and two together, coming up with five. All previous disorientation gave way to fatigue and discontent. _This is it, this is the living end. I've been sitting here, cavorting and having a grand old time with the infamous Garabine, haven't I?_

_Crap._

o o o TO BE CONTINUED o o o

* * *

RESPONSE TO **LILMAGI**: You raise a very good point, one I did worry over when I was writing: "Should I specify any cultural origins of food within a colony that has no recollection of the true Earth?" Consider that they still think of themselves as being on Earth; therefore, I'm sure some cultural traditions survived, such as the name of the planet they THINK they're on. If that's the case, one could also argue that they would even remember the ethnic categories of their food... even if they don't remember that they used to refer to actual countries. Therefore, "Indian" in their minds is a type of food, not a place from which it originated. Of course, they could all be living on Soylent Green or using Replicators (a la _Star Trek_), but since they clearly show classic "Terran" dishes being prepared traditionally by hand in the anime, I figured their cuisine can't be too far removed from our own.

So... I figure that when writing a SoltyRei fic, you could go either way with it. They could still consume food much like our own, but it's equally possible that they've developed their own unique mash-ups of what was eaten by the original Colonists. Flip a coin, eh?

:rubs eyes: Oh, the pains of writing futuristic femmeslash...

Also, quick fun side note: I changed my FFnet avatar to a Celly pic. Yay, I suppose. Happy Valentine's Day!


	8. Chapter 8

o o o CHAPTER EIGHT o o o

"Wait," Garabine - if indeed that's who she was - said, turning to face them more properly. "Do you two know each other?"

"Why are you here, Celica?" Accela demanded in a less than kind tone. "Don't tell me you're stalking me!"

_"Frig,"_ Celica moaned, slumping against the bar. "Somebody just shoot me. Shoot me now."

"I can't believe this," she hissed. "Were you pumping Garabine for information?"

Bingo. Dead on the money.

"Accela, listen. I didn't come here to make a scene, or start anything, or anything at all. In fact, I'm not even here; I'm just a wad of gum stuck to this bar. Leave me in peace."

"And you're drinking," she sighed. "God, that didn't take long."

"It's only tonic water," Garabine said in her defense. Even though she didn't ask for it, and somewhat resented the person speaking for a myriad of reasons, she couldn't help but feel a pinprick of gratitude.

"Oh? W-well, that's not what's important right n-"

"You know what? Nevermind." Celica stood, extending a hand, which Garabine took with probably the most confounded expression any person had ever worn. "It was nice meeting you. Thanks for the drink." And then she turned to make her way out and away from the worst discotheque experience she'd ever been privy to.

"Wait a minute, you come back here and- you explain this!"

But she didn't turn, she didn't engage. Once she was outside, she took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves, leaning against the brick wall. That could have gone worse - not _much_ worse, but at least no one died, and there weren't any blood smears on her silver microskirt. All in all, a swingin' time at the sock hop.

_So Accela's the sweet angel my punker friend was holding out for,_ Celica reflected as she began to plod home at the slowest pace possible. _It was so much easier to hate Garabine when I could picture her as some bulldyke with a thousand chippies on a leash, hoping to add one more. Before I knew her. Now..._

"Celica, you stop right there!"

"Oh, for God's _sake!"_ she shouted, spinning. "Can't you just leave me the hell alone for once?"

"Not until you tell me why you were at this club!"

It only mildly surprised Celica to find Garabine was still with them; from the look on her face, it was out of obligation. In case things turned ugly and she needed to bodily force them apart to prevent life-threatening contusions. She was standing off to the side, now wearing a leather jacket from which she produced a pack of cigarettes.

"Let me get one of those if you don't mind," Celica sighed.

"You _smoke?"_ Accela gasped, which certainly didn't prevent Garabine from passing one over. "Since when?"

"Since I was four," Celica snapped as she was handed the lighter. "What are you, my babysitter?"

"Fine, I don't care about that," she said, trying to force herself to stop exploding over and over. "Please, just assure me that there's a rational explanation you ended up at the same club as us. One that doesn't involve a tracking device implanted somewhere under my skin."

"It's a _club,_" she said with some bite on the last word, forcing a cloud into Accela's face which made her cough. "People go there to dance, or so I'm told. Which I was doing, until I got sucked back into this endless barrage of excrement."

"Dump_ee,_" Garabine muttered just loud enough for Celica to hear - and to her chagrin, Celica had to force back a smile. In spite of the situation and her animosity toward the "other woman", it was a hilarious observational joke.

"It isn't..." The valiant efforts Accela was making to calm herself weren't having much effect, but it wasn't for lack of trying. "You were the one that said we needed a break. I tried to respect that, and I thought you were, too. So to see you popping up from the ether while I'm out with Garabine, it's... well, it's more than weird."

At that, Celica had to nod. "I'm sure it looks psychotic. Kind of like tearing off down the street after me would look psychotic to an outside observer. Seriously, man, I'm gonna see you at work tomorrow - it really couldn't wait?"

"Would you have waited?"

"Touché." Again, Celica nodded, staring down at her platforms and wondering what else they should say. "Right... so I came out for a little R&R, figured I might find somebody cute to flirt with for a few minutes. Get my mind off stuff. And hey, I did the not-drinking thing, that's progress, right? It sucks that I kind of crashed your date, but it wasn't on purpose, so I don't really see how I should apologize for that. Other stuff... oh yeah, my underwear is riding up a little, and I'd like to find a restroom so I can take care of that. I think that sums it up."

Accela nodded, running her hand through her hair. "Okay, then. Sorry I flipped out, I just... you must know how it looked to me."

"Crazy stalker-palooza, I get it, don't pop a capillary." Celica took a step to her aft. "You okay back there?"

"Just enjoying the show," Garabine half-laughed. "Better than daytime talk."

"Celica, Garabine, Gary, Celica," Accela said with the deadpan of someone who fully realized they were providing superfluous knowledge. "Um, now what do we do? I can honestly say I have never been in this situation before."

"I'm going home," Celica said with a shrug. "You two, go back to the club, go back to your place, whatever. None of my business."

"Celica-"

"It is _NONE..._" It took her the length of the pause to convert her shouting into even, quiet tones. "...of my business. Kind of not in a dancing mood now, so I'm turning in early. Sorry I was so snide about her before, Accela, she's a real catch. Good work."

"You don't have to be all churlish about this."

"Hey, I actually wasn't being sarcastic at all." Her eyes were somber as she glanced between the two of them. "You two really are awesome. Individually, and as a couple. Honest to God, I mean it. All the best."

This seemed to genuinely catch everyone there off guard - especially Celica, who couldn't believe what she was saying. "Zany," Garabine said in an undertone. "It's a small, small world, with an even smaller queer community..."

As Celica set off down the street, puffing like a chimney, she could hear both of them talking animatedly to each other. That was fine. If she had to hand off her leading lady to another suitor, at least it was one she could wholeheartedly approve of. If, say, she was losing her to that dimbus who'd tried to drag her off to his hovel after five seconds of dancing, it would be another matter entirely. But this wasn't so awful - it was only awful for her.

"Celica, wait up!"

_"NO!"_ she shouted without turning or stopping, flicking her spent cigarette into the gutter. "This time, I'm hailing a cab so nobody can impede my journey homeward for the umpteenth time tonight!"

But then two arms were sliding around her, pinning her own to her sides. "Don't do that! Just... I think we should talk. Right now, not tomorrow, not next week. We need to have it out, because I'm sick of pussyfooting."

"Did you get rid of your other girl? Because let me tell you, I gotta say... you might want to drop me like a bad habit. Me being the disaster area I am, I think you traded up - way, _way_ up, she's amazing."

"I dunno," Garabine said, automatically turning Celica's face beet red - so she _was_ still there. "You're not so bad yourself. For a cop."

"Take her off my hands!" Celica crowed, spinning to face the punker even while Accela clung to her midsection, allowing herself to be swung in a wide arc. This only served to exasperate her further. "Do you see this? I don't need this crap!"

"Yeah, you do," she laughed, grinning from ear to ear. "The past five minutes was plenty to prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt. So here's me, bowing out gracefully; she's all yours."

"But you... you said she was one you, y'know, wanted to hang onto," Celica said unadroitly, failing to make her voice sound any less weak and pathetic. "And now that I know you're kind of a big deal... how can I let you give up on your dream girl? That isn't right, either."

A nod as she stomped on her own cigarette butt. "Fair point. Here's another one. Do you know how galling it is to try and get to know somebody better... when all they wanna talk about is someone else? It's all-Celica, all the time; I know more about you than I do about her by now. Which is how I know I'm leaving her in good hands." As she turned to leave, she said over her shoulder, "Gotta go give a bartender the finger. Keep in touch, Interleague."

"Yeah," she said numbly, watching the dragon emblazoned on the back of her leather jacket fade into the night. "Wow..."

"Mm-hmm. Not that you aren't a dreamboat, too," Accela said in a soft voice, "but... come on. When I first met her, you could have knocked me over with a feather."

"Tell me about it." Celica let out a long, low whistle. "You, uh... up for a threesome?"

_"Celica!"_

"Kidding, kidding. I kid - it's what I do." They both stood there for a while with Accela's arms around her sides, enjoying the closeness. Then Celica took a quick step forward, breaking the embrace. "You wanna talk? Let's talk. About...?"

"About you and me."

"What _about_ us?"

_"About_ the fact that we're stupid," Accela sighed wearily. "How is it we've been running around, acting like all these trappings and playground drama matter in the long run? We're better than that."

"Yeah. But... life isn't a breeze. Garabine was telling me something, and it kind of stuck with m-"

"Hey, yeah, there's a funny thing," Accela interrupted lightly, walking over to the low stone wall nearby and perching on it. "What are the chances of both of us zeroing in on the same girl?"

Celica couldn't keep from grinning. "Pretty good, considering the girl. I bet every chick-liking-chick within the city limits at least knows of and desires to be part of her inner circle. God, forget _you,_ Accela Warrick - lemme at that Amazon!"

"Shut up, you dork." When Celica made to storm off toward the club again, Accela hopped over and tackled her around the ankles. They went down hard, but combat training has to be good for something, so they braced for the fall and rolled. Soon thereafter, Celica was running through the trees of a nearby park with Accela hot on her heels - her own heels in one hand as she ran barefoot - both leaping over small ponds and benches, but halfway through the park Celica tripped over the edge of a sundial and they both ended up in a bush.

"Let's go for broke," Celica panted as she stared up at her best friend, feeling her tankini cling to her chest from perspiration. "Right here and now. God, I've been aching for this..."

"Ah, ah, ah," Accela whispered, wagging a rebuking finger with one hand even as she petted Celica's stomach with the other. "We have got to talk our way through all the dross before we can enjoy the rewards at the end. I mean it - and stop laughing at me!"

"I can't help it," she giggled. "You get this little line in the middle of your forehead when- okay, okay, I'm sorry. Go on."

"All out in the open. I want no more secrets, no more misgivings. What's wrong with your heart, do you have a murmur or something?"

"Panic attacks." Now that she said it, she felt one coming on - just a tiny shadow of one, insubstantial and nonthreatening. "That's all. Um... wow, so I really told you. Don't feel like I was trying to withhold it out of spite or anything, I- this is so humiliating for me. It's a fancy technical term for 'I can't handle all my own shit like a grown-up'. There, m-make fun of me all you like."

"They aren't a laughing matter. Many people suffer from them, all over the world; they can pose serious health risks if you don't handle them properly." When she saw Celica's cocked eyebrow, she followed up with, "So I did some research, and I pretty much already knew that's what got you keeling over poolside. But I wanted you to tell me, to confirm and all that. Your health is my top priority, over all else, so if you don't like it then you can kiss my ass; too bad."

"I might kiss it anyway." That just earned her a slap on the arm. "Fine, that's one down. Anything else? Now's your chance to air all grievances."

They both thought for a moment before Accela fell over onto her side, lying so she could observe her friend's features without too much effort. "Well... I think we already set up the new rules for you _not_ taking certain liberties without my permission. That's the next-highest priority after your well-being."

"You got it, Chief - I'll keep all hands, feet and objects outside your coach at all times."

"Not at _all_ times. And if you're testing out pet names for my anatomy, that one is officially out. Coach?"

Celica rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. Next item on the agenda?"

"Next is your drinking." Celica's countenance grew a hint stonier and Accela sighed, shaking her head. "Mostly because I snapped at you in the bar like some harried housefrau, I'm officially abdicating that position of power from now on. If you _ask_ me to help keep you accountable, I will, but otherwise I'm leaving it up to you. And smoking, if you're a smoker. Like you said, I'm not your babysitter."

"Yeah, thanks. But so you know, I could still use some encouragement in the booze department. It'd be a big advantage." They smiled at each other for a moment. "Now... is there something you might, _maaaybe,_ want to admit to me? Come on, you can use the word."

"Ohhh, do I have to?"

"Yep. Let me get you started: 'Celica, it has come to my attention that I am in fact a...'"

"I'm a lesbian," Accela offered up, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she shrugged her shoulders. "One who's trying desperately to get used to saying it. Go ahead and gloat; I know I really put up a fight, telling you I didn't want you, and... and that you weren't the type of human I could accept for a romantic partner. So all that time I spent pretending to resent you for 'dragging me into it' was a smokescreen for an aspect of myself that I didn't want to confront. You have every right to grind my face in it."

It stunned Accela that nothing of the sort came out of her friend's mouth. "Now we know. So you're sure, your panties are a no-guy zone from now on?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Between you and my brief, embryonic courtship with Garabine, I'm more than happy to be swearing off men for life. Even so... it's a big change, right? Knowing you're abnormal?"

"There's nothing abnormal about it, Accela; we just like what we like." She bit her lip momentarily. "And yeah, I think Garabine might have turned me permanently, too. Eh, I dunno... I still think men are hot. Some men."

"Really? Not me. They're pretty, in an aesthetic sort of way, but I can't say I really feel... you know."

Celica allowed herself a suggestive smirk. "No love lost between you and the phallus? Don't blame you; even I think it's weird-looking, no matter how useful it can prove in times of need. Now and again, though... m_Mm_m."

"You have a pottymouth," she accused.

"All the better to put your hindquarters against, my dear. Oh, I suppose you also want to know how I feel about you or something."

Accela nodded. "That'd be nice, for starters. Because we seem to keep sending all these mixed signals, which only makes things-"

"I'm retardedly in love with you."

There was a tiny gasp, and Accela sat bolt upright; perhaps this was more blatantly unambiguous than she'd been anticipating. "Wh... I'm sorry, I must be, um... getting old. They say hearing is the first thing to go."

"No they don't," Celica said with a sheepish grin, placing her hands under her head to cushion it from the hard-packed dirt beneath them. "That's supposed to be the mind, not the ears; besides, lots of people get Resemble eardrums later in life, but the Resemble brain is still in testing stages, I've heard."

"Rewind, then - you're _what?"_

Celica's face was hot enough to fry an egg on now, and she looked away, feeling another panic attack coming on - a mild one, but one that would make it harder for her to finish this conversation. It scared her that her limbs felt numb, but she forced herself to whisper, "You heard me. I kinda, sorta, love you. Don't... don't laugh."

"I'm not laughing." There was a long silence as Celica dreaded how the rest of this would go. "Since when?"

"Always, maybe?" When Accela let out a panicked squeak, she grinned and said, "Or maybe just two seconds ago when I said it. Or maybe I'm lying. Take your pick."

"When, really? I mean... how long have you-"

"The day in the RUC response unit," Celica said immediately, eyes pointed off into the bushes as she struggled to get the words out. As it turns out, laying bare your heart's innermost contents was even more difficult than she'd expected - and she'd expected it to be excruciating. "It was r-right after you first, um... rushed to my aid in the showers, remember? That was when I knew."

"All this time!" she gasped out weakly. "Why then? Because of the showers?"

"You don't remember what you said to me, do you?"

"Not exactly. That was, um, a pretty tumultuous time for me."

A vague smile touched Celica's lips. Delving back into those memories was like slipping on a fur coat someone had been pre-warming for you; it dialed down the voracious fear that was gripping her innards. "We were talking about taking our first baby steps toward being... together, or whatever. There were two distinct things you told me in there that sealed the deal once and for all."

Tentative fingertips reached Celica's knee. The latter jumped, but stilled as the hand slid onto it more solidly. "Tell me."

"First you... you said you didn't require me to mutate into the 'top', the boy. Because you wanted us to stay the same. 'The way we already are', I think were your exact words. Which, hey, that's pretty romantic, whether or not you're not expecting romance. I can count the times someone's told me I'm a satisfactory individual just the way I am on one hand, and keep in mind that two of the fingers belong to my parents."

"Okay." There was a sniffling sound from Accela, but Celica couldn't bear to turn and face her yet. "Then what was the other thing I said?"

"That... oh, it's stupid. You were only spitballing, trying to figure things out for yourself, and it was a theory - a half-assed theory. I knew you weren't sure, so I don't know why it meant so much to me."

"Please?"

The vice grip on her heart tightened a few more notches as she struggled to force out what she needed to say. "Y-you... you said I could be... that there was a chance - and even a chance was _so much..._"

"Celica, you're crying," she choked out, still crying herself. "You d-don't have to go on if it's too hard for-"

"You said I might be the only human being you could allow to get that close to you." Celica couldn't even move her arm to wipe away the collecting moisture from her face; she wanted to, she knew she must look like a horrendous mess by now. But if she diverted attention to doing that, she'd lose the power to finish what she needed to say - _must_ say. "First you told me I didn't need to change, and then that the me I was - the crazy, mixed-up, flawed idiot who can't cook and is addicted to video games, and has panic attacks, and has to watch her drinking so she doesn't go off the deep end - might be so freaking important to you th-that... that I could be your one and only. I'm practically gutter trash, and you'd even _consider_ putting me in such a position in your heart? It was huge. It's still huge - even if it turns out I'm not the one. You'll never be able to see that how I do."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Celica still couldn't turn around, though that tempted her. "But yeah. That blew me away, completely knocked me onto my tailbone. As soon as you said it, I knew nobody could ever be as important to me as you, before, after... nobody. I knew I wanted to keep you all to myself until the end of forever." She sniffled. "So that is how long I've been in love, to the day. Roughly a month, I think? Yeah... that's about- _WHA-!"_

Only now did Accela throw herself across Celica's frame. "A month. You've b-been holding all this inside for a month, you haven't said- I've been such a bitch! Why didn't you tell me to go fuck myself?"

Two chocolate-brown eyes shot wide. "Accela, where'd you learn to swear like a sailor?"

"You've known you were in love with me, that you needed me all to yourself like that, and... and the whole time I've been running around on you, I've been faulting you for complaining when I d-dated another woman! You had every _right_ to if that's how you feel - no wonder you've been having panic attacks left and right! Oh, God, I wish you would have spoken up sooner or we- we could have avoided all this bickering and all the- and all this _BULLSHIT!"_

"I haven't been having attacks left and right," Celica sobbed into her shoulder as she wrapped both arms around her friend. "Just once or twice, okay? Geez, next you'll be forcing me to live the rest of my life in a bubble."

"A month!" she said again. "Jesus, I can't even imagine - I've been hurting you for four weeks, every day for twenty-eight! Why haven't you impaled me yet?" More tears flowed as she whispered, "The hot tub. I get it, now - it was awful, but I get why you felt like taking it out on me. Because I was so blind, deaf and dumb that I completely missed the message you wanted to get through."

"No, don't," Celica snapped, alarmed. "You're trying to make it sound like you earned that, and we both know it was too far, no matter _what_ you did. Cut it out, you got me?"

Accela pushed herself up onto her arms. Teardrops fell downward onto Celica's face as she fell upward into twin pools of green - falling all over again. "This has been so long coming, since last time when I woke up next to you; it's way too long between. I love you, Celica."

Celica squeezed her eyes shut, the panic rising in her chest, stabbing into every region of her body and freezing solid where it reached. "Ah... sh-shut up, come on. D-don't say it just because I did; I won't rope you into something you don't really want because you feel guilty. If that's what you're doing, then I'll kick you to the curb, I swear it."

"I'm head over heels," she whispered back, laughing. "Maybe I needed to be rattled and shaken to wake up and take a good look around, but... all that worrying I did, about us being friends, about... about _nothing,_ a boatload of nothing! You being how spectacular you are, this empty little red head of mine should have known from the very beginning that there's not a single thing that could mess up something so perfect as you and me! What else could we possibly need?"

"No," she breathed, uncertainty squeezing her heart to bits. "You... I don't deserve..."

"I am in love with you. I am. I really am, I've never been so sure of anything! All of me belongs to you!"

"Accela!"

Her hands and mouth shot up at the same time, and Accela's own arms automatically slid in and around her back to support her - and the devils trying their best to destroy Celica's body and soul shattered into millions of bits, leaving her feeling lighter than air. Astoundingly, it had come to pass that she could be with Accela - _her_ Accela. What could be more freeing? The lovers revelled within an hour-long kiss; one that deepened and grew, peppered with exclamations and sobs and laughter. They rolled, they petted and panted, but mostly they allowed their lips to remain center stage. Against the backdrop of the park's emerald greenery, under the shimmering of the Aurora Shell, it was terrifyingly beautiful.

o o o

A brief eternity later found them back at Accela's apartment, all but free of clothing and heavily immersed in the deepest of sensations. The bedroom reverberated with the sounds of love, the heat rose in waves, until they reached the cusp of unbridling all passion. Accela expressed some bewilderment when Celica sat back.

"Wahh... oooh... wait, what is it, why are you stopping?"

"I'm... nervous," Celica admitted, feeling shy. The shyness worsened when she realized the cause. "B-because- because since the last time we were together, you've had Garabine, and- God, I'm sure she's more experienced with this kind of thing than me. What if I'm not doing it right? That'd be a colossal disappointment for you now, I guess."

"Celica, I never slept with Garabine."

The brunette's eyes snapped up, wide as saucers. "You didn't?"

"No. I told you, we barely went on a couple of dates; I got a grand total of two kisses on the hand and one on the cheek - oh, and she technically goosed me, but only because I didn't look before I sat down. You know I'm not very impetuous. Things never progressed into the boudoir."

"Seriously?" Celica asked again, shocked. "Because, total disclosure, if the situation were reversed I'd have been all _over_ that! She's like some kind of present-day _goddess!_ Wow... what held you back?"

"Haven't we both figured that part out?" Accela said suggestively, reaching up with her foot to trace a line down Celica's cheek... which promptly blushed scarlet. "Now, where were we?"

"Right about... _HHHHere."_

_"AIIIH! _ Celica, take me places!"

"Away we go."

There were no further interruptions. Many untested techniques saw the light of day that evening; before, Accela had barely allowed Celica within her defenses, and had expressed no interest in returning the favor. Not that Celica had even cared about that; just being intimate in any form had gratified her plenty. But it seemed like now that they had declared their undying love, all avenues were open to their intrepid explorations. It truly was a historic night.

For some reason, it was determined that Celica was the one with more lingering energy in her body, so she was given the task of fetching a large pitcher of water and two glasses to the bedroom. She did so merrily, skipping through the apartment wearing nothing but an afterglow. When she came back to the bedroom, Accela tried to hide a laugh, but would not elaborate until they were both leaning wearily against both each other and the headboard, quenching their staggering thirst.

"That's some handy tip you picked up, Celica; the mechanics of it seem impossible, but... wow! We went from novices to seasoned pros in one month flat, didn't we?"

Celica grinned. "What can I say? I'm a quick study."

"Tall, dark and handsome."

"Come again?" Celica asked as she poured herself more water - the first two glasses had barely made a dent.

"No thanks - thrice is enough." As Celica stuck out her tongue, Accela looked away shyly. "What I mean is, just now, when I saw you framed in the doorway... I had a minor epiphany. It's you."

Celica's eyebrows knitted. "It is me. I am it. And you are the walrus."

"No, silly." She set aside her water glass and slipped both arms around Celica's midsection, face coming to rest atop one of her mounds. "You're one inch taller than me. Your skin is the most delightful shade of amaretto. And, um... well, if we substitute 'handsome' for 'drop dead gorgeous,' well, then you fit the bill."

"Great, so I'm an ethnic girl of average height who isn't hideous. Sorry, but I'm not following-"

"I've always been waiting for my tall, dark, handsome prince to come along. Ever since I was small, that's been my dream; my stipulation for the one who could win my affection, who'd whisk me away and be one with me 'til death do us part. The wait is over, because here you are."

Celica snickered, even as a few tears of elation slid down her face. "You're weird. But I love you, anyway."

"I love you, too, Tall, Dark and Handsome." They sat there in silence for several seconds before Accela whispered, "Hmm... I think there's a hickey on your ankle."

"Yeah, about that," she half-laughed as she leaned forward. "Can you see those scratches you left down my back? Are they bad?"

"Not really; they're pretty light. Well, this one here..."

Thirty minutes later and they had showered, changed the sheets, and were curled up on crisp, clean ones, nude and encircling each other's bodies, reaching such a deep level of contentment that Accela was already asleep. But Celica kept herself awake for just a few more minutes to bask in such a fleeting, priceless moment.

_Darling angel, I realize I dragged you into this same-sex nightmare,_ Celica thought, gazing at the peaceful features of the girl that had become the center of her entire world. _I'm not so ignorant that I don't realize you never wanted to be with a woman. Even less with this one. So you can believe me when I promise that I'll be trying my best, my absolute hardest, to make you happy. You'll never have to feel a moment's regret. And someday, if we don't fall apart or I don't foul everything up, I'm going to follow through on that joke you made when I was washing your back: I'm going to marry you. Because you, more than anyone in this bleak metropolis, are worth a lifetime commitment._

_I swear it, Accela... my best bud._

o o o THE END... _OR IS IT?_ o o o

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's not over YET! This, well, is AN ending; it is the finale of the main events of the story. The next two chapters could almost be considered an epilogue; we'll be flashing forward five years (much as the anime did; I thought it was appropriate). Are you up for all the heartache that might entail? If so, then I welcome you to read on. If not, then you can take this blissfully fluffy happy ending and run with it, and I'll not think any less of you for it. But to allay your fears, it will still have a happy ending either way; just maybe not the one you've anticipated.

Thanks to **lilmagi** and **The 13th Knight** for their dedicated readership! Sincerest apologies if you were expecting something of staggering length such as Libbrina, but... in the cases of both Libby and Lark, they had a lot further to go to first come to a point where they could tolerate the other person and perceive them as a worthwhile human being, THEN fall in love and the rest. In contrast, Celica and Accela start out as friends, which cuts to the romantic chase a lot more quickly. So while I know you must be shaking your head and thinking, "Only eight chapters and all the conflict is over?", on the other hand there are still two left! Don't abhor me?


	9. Chapter 9

o o o CHAPTER NINE o o o

_...FIVE YEARS LATER..._

Void pressed into her from all sides as she struggled to find light, to create it from the inky black around her. All was formless and expanse and solitude. What had become of her here? No answers came to her questions, and when she realized she had no way of speaking them aloud, she began to fret. It was unbearable. What if she never saw the light of day again?

But a shining dot would hover before her face now and again. Every time, she willed herself toward it, but it danced out of reach, or vanished entirely. How frustrating.

The time came when she could bear it no longer; she had to get that dot. It was the only thing besides her that existed. It appeared before her, and she gave every shred of strength she had to acquire it, strained at the barriers holding her down, focused very atom of her person at it and _heaved_.

Which is when, like a charm, she broke through.

o o o

"C... Celica?"

The shapes and colors in the room refused to make sense; it was out of focus. Or she was. There was no way to be sure.

"Oh my God, Celica - you're awake, you're _awake!"_

A heavy weight was on her stomach, and tendrils were wrapping around her throat. She tried to ask what was happening, but all she came out with was "Whrnghh..."

"Bless this day!" the attacking force breathed. "Bless it from above, I never thought it would come, it- oh, I have you back!"

"Heyyy," she managed to drawl, mouth parched and useless. "Whass... gn... helb!"

"Helb? Help? Oh, I'm so sorry - here, I'll back off."

It was then that the figure sat back, and she recognized some parts of her features but others were foreign and disconcerting. Finally, it came into focus - and despite the long, flowing hair and the slight laugh lines, she knew.

"A..." She coughed, then tried to croak it out again. "Accela?"

"You remember me!" she exclaimed, lighting up like an Appreciation Day tree. "Quick, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"You aren't." It was true; in her overwhelming joy, Accela had forgotten to actually hold any up. "What's... where am I?"

"You're in the hospital," she soothed, laying both hands on the patient's chest. "Thank God you woke up, the doctors were beginning to think it was more cruel to keep you on life support than euthanize you - I've been fighting them tooth and nail, insisting you just needed a little more time to come back to us..."

"Come back?" There was something about that - and about the way Accela looked - that brought with it a sense of foreboding. "Wh... where have I been?"

Only now did Accela pause before speaking to think. "M-maybe that's not for me to say, Celica. The doctors might have a b-better way of breaking it to you than I can, I'm not an expert in mental trauma like they-"

_"How long?"_

Seconds passed; the clock on the wall was loud and deafening in its marking of the passage. "Um... about five years."

_"WHAT?"_

"It's going to be alright now, though," Accela blubbered. "B-because- because we've got you, you're alive, you're awake! That's what matters! Don't worry about the time, or your condition or any of those, they're details!"

"My name... is Celica," she realized - Accela had said it. Now it sounded like a foreign word from a half-formed memory. Why was she so disoriented? "Yayoi - C-celica Yayoi. And... and we were... friends."

Fresh tears began streaming down the redhead's cheeks. "Oh God... oh no, they told me- they said you might not remember anything, oh I'm so sorry, Celica, I'm so sorry..."

Flashes were coming back to her, but they refused to settle; a bloody corpse on the floor in RUC with Ashley Lynx standing over it. But how could that be? Nobody had ever been murdered on RUC property. And Rose Anderson, the infamous criminal, sitting at one of their terminals in the office and wearing their uniform.

"What is it?" Accela asked gently, her voice now taking on that irksome extra-sweet quality that some people adopt when speaking with the mentally handicapped. "Do you need something?"

"My mind... it's smashing all this crap together. Tell me - did the Andersons ever take over RUC headquarters or something?"

Accela's eyebrows raised. "Are you remembering Rose there? Yes... she worked with us for a while. After she almost died in the second Blast Fall, the director took her under his wing because she was a Proceed. That's what set the dominoes falling."

"_Second_ Blast Fall! Wait... a clocktower. I remember."

"It was Integra who rescued her." Accela folded her hands in her lap and sat back. "None of us knew until later what Ashley was up to. He was grooming her to replace us entirely... so she could interface with Eunomia."

"Eu-whatia?"

"Forget about that right now, okay? You need rest."

"Wait!" Celica gasped as more images assailed her, forced their presence upon her weak mind. "I n-need to know, I... Sylvia is dead, isn't she? But how could that be, she was always... but she's dead. The director..."

Suddenly, her chest felt constricted, her airways tight. As her breathing turned ragged, Accela whispered, "What is it, a panic attack? Or something else? I'm calling the nurse-"

_"No!"_ she managed to wheeze, clutching the center of her hospital gown. "I don't- I want to know, I need to know what happened!"

_"NURSE!"_

o o o

Three days passed without Celica seeing hide nor hair of anyone but medical staff; they refused to tell her anything that mattered, other than that she would be fine, and that more tests were needed. She'd had enough of tests after the first few hours.

Once her condition had stabilized beyond shadow of doubt, Accela was allowed to come back to see her - and she brought Integra along. They hugged and made some small talk for a few minutes before Celica said, "Okay. So I love you guys and I'm glad you made it through the Apocalypse more or less intact, but... now I want answers. Big ones."

"Very well," Integra said - succinct as always. "What do you wish to know?"

"Firstly, I want to know where I've been for five years. And second..." When she raised her arm from the bed and rolled up her sleeve, both of her friends recoiled. "Why do I have Resemble parts?"

"Oh," was all Accela could get out before dissolving into a puddle of tears and misery.

"They had already been grafted onto you when we found you," Integra began. "At RUC.

"Ashley Lynx, it seemed, had a number of clandestine projects he was operating within the RUC building, unbeknownst to the staff at large. As has been disseminated to the press and the populace, this was due in part to the fact that he was among the human settlers who first came to this planet in hopes of terraforming it. There was an orbiting shuttle he wished to return to and reunite with a former colleague. Suffice it to say, he never made it, and that the colleague was long dead anyway."

"Wait, no... what? Terraforming?" Celica's eyes widened in shock. "Is this not Earth? Are we... aliens?"

"I suppose, in a way," Integra said with a small smile. "We are humans from Earth, but this isn't it. No amount of research has turned up the original name of this planet; it's likely lost to time. Joseph has been... less than forthcoming. But we're glad to call it home now."

"Fine, fine, we're aliens," Celica groused impatiently. "Ashley's projects?"

Integra nodded solemnly. "The slow dissolution of RUC's assets as it was broken down into smaller companies and governments also involved combing HQ for any other... surprises. Almost a year ago, we found yet another; a chamber full of bodies. They were all perfectly preserved in stasis tubes, energy from the city still powering them, functioning all on their own without supervision. You are the third to wake. The second only regained consciousness for mere seconds before expiring; his prognosis wasn't encouraging to begin with, but the doctors gave him a fighting chance. The first, on the brighter side, is now home with her husband."

"Stasis..." She got a faraway look in her eyes, gazing into and through the wall.

"I'm... disgusted to inform you that we also recovered Sylvia's body there, but nothing could be done for her. All medical technicians and specialists were brought in, and it was decided there was no way to remove her from stasis without killing her - or what was left of her. Clinically braindead; she had become nothing more than a shell. So we disconnected her. At... at least she was able to receive a proper burial."

Now they were all crying to varying degrees. "S-so I was in stasis for five years, too. Why? Why did he keep me alive?"

"They were running tests on new Resemble parts," Integra supplied with a sniffle, gesturing to the arm. "Scans have shown that you are now roughly 35% artificial. I can list what they've replaced in you, but you... may be better off not knowing."

"No, tell me. Tell me so I can know when something breaks what needs fixing."

Integra drew in a shaky breath. "Your left arm, of course - and your right shoulder only. Right knee joint, both hips, one lung, one kidney, the liver... one eye. Also, it seems you've had an oophorectomy and partial hysterectomy; since your data file was lost when the servers self-destructed, we can't be sure if they intended to replace those with Resemble as their next experiment."

"I'm a freaking cyborg," Celica growled, pounding her new metal fist into the mattress. "That bastard turned me into an abomination!"

"For once, I'm thankful." The sobs couldn't dull Accela's gratitude. "I'm grateful he was such a monster. Because he saved your life, even if he only did it to further his own research. At least it means I have you back."

Celica blinked. "Have me back? You say it like..." And then a shot of recognition surged through her; damage control. She had to cover it up before Integra picked up on anything. "W-wait- nevermind, sorry, it was a joke. Don't m-mind the coma victim."

"She knows," Accela assured her softly.

"Huh?"

"If memory serves," Integra began with a wry grin, "Accela was of the opinion that denying the... uncommon turn your friendship had taken was a disgrace to your memory. So she told me about you, how you had become so close just before you were..."

Accela blew her nose on a tissue. "Torn apart."

In spite of all the tragedy, of her righteous fury at becoming little more than a lab rat after she sacrificed herself to help bring down the company that ended up benefiting from her near-demise (or had she actually _died?_ Perhaps that was a question best left for later), she felt her face growing hot. Someone knew. For the first time since Garabine - who had also been a lesbian, so she didn't count - someone had found out about their relationship, a friend and coworker. It was unexpected, and though she told herself she ought not be embarrassed, she was.

"Hey, what is it?" Accela asked as she swiped at her eyes. "You look flushed. Should I call the-"

"No, dammit," Celica grunted, folding her arms. "It's nothing the nurse can fix."

"Why, Celica Yayoi," Integra chided. "I do believe you're coming over bashful."

"Shaddap."

At that, Accela let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, grow up, Celica. It's been a long time since we first became an item, you have got to learn to-" But she cut off when she noticed the look in Celica's eyes and buried her face in her hands. "Shit. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm such a moron..."

"It's only been a few weeks for me," Celica whispered. "I've missed... I missed everything."

"I know!" Accela choked out, rapidly becoming hysterical. "I know, I can't believe I somehow for- forgot about- I'm so sorry!"

"Shh, it's okay," Integra soothed, picking her up under the arms and hugging her before guiding her toward the door. "Let's go get you some coffee..."

"Hey - hey, wait a minute," Celica blustered, amazed that they were leaving. "Where do you think you're going? I'm still stranded in the dark - there's a lot more details that I don't-"

But then they were outside her room, the door shut. Celica settled back against her bed and yanked at her hair - which was several inches shorter than she was used to it being - flailing her legs. She fully understood that she was throwing a temper tantrum, but why shouldn't she? Her life had been crumpled up and burned like so much refuse.

She listened for one of her knees to creak as her legs flailed. Nope; perfectly smooth. State-of-the-art Resemble. Not that it was much comfort. Would she still be able to drink with an artificial liver? Maybe not - and that might be a positive aspect of this. If the only. _This is what I get for always joking that I'd get a Resemble liver,_ she thought bitterly.

Then the door was opening again. Celica weakly looked over, expecting to see a doctor, but instead she saw Integra, alone this time. "What? Come back to tell me my boobs are Resemble, too? If so, they could at least have made them bigger."

"Not quite. I came back to tell you to get your act together."

At that, Celica felt her eyes flashing. "Excuse moi?"

"It isn't that I feel no sympathy for your position; I do. None of us could ever know what you've been through, what you're waking up to. It must be terrifying." Then she stalked over, steely blue eyes narrowed and serious. "On the other hand, have you given a thought to what Accela's been through?"

"Wha-"

_"HELL."_ Integra's teeth gritted. "This hasn't come up in conversation yet, but I've been living with her for the past five years. Since neither of us have significant others - or _did_ - it helped ease our mutual loneliness, having a trusted friend to share a space with. It took her three years to get over your supposed death. _Three._ Which means she had a single year to function with some semblance of normalcy before you turned up in a lab and ruined all her progress. It dragged her right back to seeing you on the news, a splotch on the pavement. On top of that, she had to lose you all over again every day you didn't wake up. Until now."

Now Celica felt her own eyes streaming, and she couldn't pin down the source. Likely because it wasn't any one source. "Why are you telling me this? Are you _blaming_ me? Blaming me for existing? I _DIED!_ What was I supposed to do, go all suicide-bomber and make sure there was nothing left for Ashley Fucking Lynx to manipulate?"

At this, Integra's fury abated slightly, and she stood back and folded her arms. "No. No, you're not to blame. But on the other hand, there are things for you to consider."

"Such as?"

"Such as the fact that Accela has been tearing herself apart for the past months. Such as the fact that now you're awake, all she can think about is how you're going to adapt to life all over again, whether or not you're well, how you function." There was a brief moment as she built up the courage to speak her mind. "Such as the fact... that when you try to make her feel guilty, because you were in the coma and she wasn't..."

"You know that's not what I-"

"You had it _easy._ Blissful, unconscious ignorance? That's picturesque compared to the incalculable hours of suffering she's logged. While you were sleeping, she's been trying to survive in a world without you for thousands of days, one at a time, and I had to watch what it did to her. She had to become so strong... just to keep on living. Full disclosure? She barely - _barely_ made it."

Celica's shoulders shook as she took all that in, as she tried to digest it without much success. "I... please, Integra, I'm not... do you hate me for waking up?"

"Maybe I do." When Celica looked up, slack-jawed, Integra sighed. "Partly. I'm hoping I won't have to, but that depends on how you handle your second chance. Despite all this, I really am glad to have you back among the living; it's miraculous, and I've missed you with all my heart, but... if you screw this up and make Accela miserable... I might put you back in the coma."

_"Integra!"_

But she was already on the other side of the door, leaving Celica alone to contemplate.

o o o

"I brought you something."

"What is- oh, no." Celica laughed weakly when she saw the little black box. "Let me guess; Dune Race 3 is still in there, isn't it?"

"Yep," Accela whispered excitedly. "I know they're discharging you tomorrow, but I didn't feel like waiting. We can run it through this monitor."

"Why on earth did you hold onto that for so long? I'm sure there's much better games on the market these days."

Accela shrugged as she began hooking it up. "There are... but I'm a sucker for the classics."

The two of them played for nearly an hour, cackling with glee and trading insults, only stopping when the nurse came into check Celica's vitals and bring her another can of fruit juice. Then, once they were watching a readout of their racing statistics, Celica said, "Hey."

"Hey what?"

"I've... been wondering about something." She cast a wary glance at her friend, who had turned all the way around to look at her properly - so she focused her eyes back on the screen as she tweaked a few settings. "Did you, um... date?"

"Date?" After a moment, she sat back, appearing somehow smaller. "Um... you mean, see other people?"

"I don't think it qualifies as 'other people' when your last partner is no longer of this realm, Accela."

Accela tried to laugh, but it faltered and expired before it really got rolling. "Um... yeah, a little. Never anything serious, or more than a few drinks. Just... didn't work out."

"What about Garabine? Didn't you..."

"Nah." As they started racing again, she continued, "I did look her up, and we hang out now and then. Once, we tried to take it to a more serious place, but... oh, nevermind, you don't wanna hear all this ancient news."

"Go ahead. It's time for me to get caught up."

"Maybe I don't want to tell you that we started making out, and I broke down crying on her, and she took me home," Accela said tersely, guiding her car into a giant boulder. "But if you must know..."

"I'm really sorry," Celica pleaded with her. "I just... I must, I really must. Five years? And I wouldn't judge you for that, I'd expect you to date. I'd probably do the same thing if I'd los- lost..."

Hearing the way she'd faded away at the end, Accela smiled wearily. "You would have, huh?"

"No." Celica set down her controller and popped open the juice. "Probably not. Sorry."

"Let's not dwell in the past, Celica. I want to live in the now - the now with you in it. I want to forget the Sans-Celica Era of my life and start fresh. Help me with that?"

"Anything you want. The sky's the limit for my Accela." Celica flipped at the lip of the can with her thumbnail. "I mean... if you're taking me back."

"Wh... why wouldn't I?"

"That's something I have no right to assume. You're a person who's five years older than me now; I mean, not bodily, but mentally. Are we even still compatible? Plus, I'm kind of part-robot now, too; that's not bizarre for you? There's lots of stuff to consider. Just taking for granted that I'll slip right back into the place I vacated-"

"Are you saying you don't want to?" Accela said with no insignificant amount of alarm. "T-tell me now, are you unsure? Because I was going to let you come live with me right away, but if you need-"

"Hey, hey, simmer down, spaz," Celica laughed. "I didn't mean we _won't_ be getting back together. But... well, I think we both owe it to you to ease back into this. For sanity's sake. Besides, I also owe it to my parents to crash at the mansion for a while; they missed me, too."

Suddenly Accela broke out in a genuine grin; the first one since the day Celica had awakened. In a flash, she was sprawled across Celica's bed, lips roving over hers, pulling and kneading. Celica felt her heart skip over a beat before speeding up in earnest; this was her first kiss since waking. Five _years_ - such a long dry spell! At long last, Accela sat back in her chair, panting as she picked up the controller to avoid sitting on it. "Do you have any idea what it's like to go half a decade without anybody calling you 'spaz'?"

"Uhh..." Celica smiled shyly, her fingers playing across her bottom lip as she reflected on the new-yet-familiar sensation. Apparently, easing back into a relationship meant different things to different people. "I dunno, must be a relief?"

Accela started the next race without Celica noticing and blew her away effortlessly. "Nah. Not nearly as much as you'd think."

o o o

Right on schedule, Celica left the hospital far behind and was reunited with her family. She decided to avoid Accela for a couple of days, just long enough to reconnect with her mother and father, reminisce about the good times, find out what they'd been doing with themselves while she was lying forgotten in some chamber. Her mother spent a lot of time fretting about her Resemble parts, but she reassured her that they had all been checked out by top specialists and that while the technology was ahead of its time, it was nothing they couldn't backwards-engineer should she need replacements in the future. As a matter of fact, between her and all the others found at RUC HQ, they expected to see the rejection rate of the synthetic parts in human organic systems go way down.

At last she felt ready to venture out into the world. She called Accela and told her to expect a visit, then put on an ensemble that was eye-catching but didn't make her look overly desperate. After spending an hour or two kicking around the city, visiting old haunts and spending a bit of money, she walked the familiar path to Accela's apartment and rang the doorbell.

"Just a second!" a voice called out. A few seconds later the door slid open, and without warning two hands were pushing into her chest gently as Accela joined her in front of her place, decked out in a simple carnation-pink blouse and white capris. Her hair was in a functional ponytail, but cute hoop earrings the exact shade of her eyes gleamed; a single touch of the fanciful that flew in the face of her mostly-reserved outfit. "Don't get comfortable, we're going out."

"We are?" Celica's hand was caught up in hers and they were suddenly heading outside. "We are, I guess. Where?"

"It's a surprise," she whispered, cheeks glowing. "I think you'll like this."

o o o TO BE CONCLUDED o o o


	10. Chapter 10

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This convoy has just about reached the end of the road. Over already! These two were so incredibly sweet together... I wish with all my heart that they make it. Maybe that's a silly thing to feel toward fictional characters, but they're real in my mind. I used my pen in an attempt to give them the happiness they deserved. Thanks to my reviewers and the other less-vocal readers out there; I hope you liked it, and I hope you like this final chapter as much as the others.

Until we meet again,  
JX

* * *

o o o CHAPTER TEN o o o

Celica and Accela slowly made their way through the city; it took them about twenty minutes to reach a streetcorner where Accela stopped, walked around behind her and clapped both hands over her eyes. Celica let out a gust of air from her nostrils. "Hey, what's all this? We're not about to suffer through an impromptu ice ballet in the park or some crap like that, are we?"

"Not quite," Accela replied as she began marching her around the corner, blind. "Don't peek, okay?"

"Fine, fine." When they stopped, she asked, "Are we there yet?"

"Okay. This... was for you."

And the hands fell away, and Celica found herself gazing at a quaint little bistro with a half-dozen tables outside under an earth-toned awning. The interior looked moodily lit, and she could see it was only one-quarter full; the typical lunch shift had likely just ended, so these were the stragglers who were enjoying their meals too much to feel any particular urge to hasten their exit.

"I don't get it," she laughed. "We're grabbing a bite? What's... oh?"

That's when she noticed the large neon sign above the entrance: it read "Celly's".

"Remember how we used to joke when we were kids?" Accela whispered, slipping her arms around Celica's waist from where she was still standing behind her, resting her chin on a shoulder. "That we could both have the same nickname? I mean, neither of us actually claimed it because it would get too confusing, trying to figure out which 'Celly' people meant when they used it, but... well, I didn't think there could be a more appropriate name for my first restaurant."

"This is _YOURS?"_ Celica exclaimed, glancing back at her friend before turning to scrutinize the exterior more closely. No part of it spoke of a cheap dive or a hole-in-the-wall greasy spoon; it was elegance personified. Years of toil had probably gone into making it exactly the place Accela wanted it to be. "I can't believe this, I- wow, look at you, Miss Entrepeneur!"

"Oh, hush," Accela said modestly. "It's just a restaurant."

"No, it isn't. It's awesome. Let's go in, I have to see this!"

In they went, and Celica felt her breath being taken away. There was an upright piano crammed into the back corner, and old photographs of the city and paintings and other bricabrac lined the walls. The chandelier hanging above them might even have been genuine crystal. Pleasant chatter filled the air, half-drowning out the piped-in soft jazz. A bar took up one wall, set back far enough as to not intrude on the main seating floor. The bartender waved at Accela when he noticed her entering. Swinging doors that lead to the kitchen flapped almost continuously as a harried-looking waitress attempted to please everyone at once.

"Welcome, Boss," said another man at a podium with a receding hairline but a pleasant expression above his bushy mustache. "Will your companion be requiring a table?"

"She will, Philippe," Accela told him warmly, "but not immediately. I'm showing her around."

"Very good, Ma'am."

Celica made a beeline for the bar - not because she wanted a drink, but because she'd noticed something. Hanging in front of the mirror, at a height so one's reflection would still be visible below it, was a framed, blown-up photograph she recognized.

"It's all of us," Celica said, voice thick with emotion. "Integra... Sylvia... that night-"

"Was the night you got blitzed and coated the poor bartender in your supper," Accela laughed. "I'm fairly certain."

"Yeah," Celica breathed with a tear in her eye as she stared at the picture. There the four of them were, grinning and raising their glasses, seated at the bar of an establishment that probably no longer existed. Celica had her free arm draped around Accela's shoulders. Sylvia was sticking out her tongue at the camera. They had been so young and full of vitality... "How... how did you even..."

"It was in an old, deleted email attachment," she said softly. "It took some digging, but you know me; queen of the cyber-realms. That wouldn't have been necessary if RUC hadn't raided our various living quarters while Ashley had us framed and at the top of the most wanted list, but it was worth the extra effort to reclaim it again. To me it was, anyway."

"I think it's the best thing ever," she laughed wetly. "Oh... oh, I can't believe this place, it's so big! And it looks amazing, all this old wood, polished brass... how did you come up with the starting capital?"

"We have several investors - including one Integra Martel, who is overseeing some of the more radical changes within RUC's corporate side. Between her and Representative Revant, it's a whole new city."

A corner of her mind tingled when she heard the surname Revant, but she couldn't place it so she set that aside for now. "Wow, this is huge... can we see the kitchen? Oh, can we, can we, can we?"

"Of course," Accela giggled, delighted in Celica's interest. "Only if you promise to be good."

"I will, I will!"

It was spotless and industrial in the restaurant's nerve center, yet there were little touches here and there that made it homey, like ancient cookware hanging high upon the ceiling or wood carvings. Three cooks were in various states of business, and a fourth was by the back door, digging in his jacket for something. When they approached him, he smiled and waved once he'd found his cigarettes and left to enjoy a brief respite from the trials of food service.

"It's like a real place," Celica breathed, eying the door that said "MANAGER'S OFFICE" nearby. "How long... how long have you had it?"

"About two and a half years. I spent a long time perfecting recipes, trying out ludicrous ideas, and coming back to old standards. Once I thought I really had the makings for my own place I started shopping around for locations, amassing the start-up funds... poaching chefs that wanted a change of environment. The bartop, piano and chandelier are all vintage; I wanted to bring some real character to it, to make it not so much a place to fill your stomach but a place to relax and enjoy yourself. The way we used to when you came over for dinner." They glanced at each other, then glanced away. "The best perk of all is that I'm never out of laurel leaves," she confided with mirthful eyes.

Celica grinned, glancing at a nearby rack of herbs and spices that held at least three dozen tiny bottles. "I'll bet you aren't."

"Sorry I'm late," someone announced as the door burst open. "Hope Dave isn't too pissed, but I can jump in for him n- Oh my God..."

_"Garabine?"_ Celica gasped, hands at her mouth. And it was; there she stood in a black sleeveless t-shirt, khaki shorts and heavy boots. Even such casual clothing couldn't disguise her especially refined, striking beauty. The most shocking part was her hair; it was still shorn on the sides, but on top and in back it was longer and with a slight wave, the natural blonde allowed to shine through instead of covered in various shades of neon as it had been five years ago.

"C... Celica." Garabine swallowed, then grinned in that way that melted away her seemingly-forbidding facade. Her hand thrust out and Celica clasped it. "Accela mentioned you were awake when I was in yesterday, but... wow, I can't believe it, after all these years..."

"I'm just a bad penny," she snickered before being jerked into the most awkward hug she'd ever had the displeasure of experiencing. It was hard to begrudge the Nordic goddess, though; in spite of it all, they had gotten along. After a few hard thumps on the back for good measure, she was released. "Missed you, too. So you work here? What's the deal?"

"She bartends," Accela said, glowing with happiness at watching two of her closest friends embrace. "Most other restaurants were too fussy about her 'punk' appearance to give her anything other than kitchen or dishwashing gigs, so I figured, 'Hey, now that I'm a businesswoman...'"

Garabine shrugged, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Doesn't take much knowhow to pour a few drinks. Easy money, as far as I'm concerned - plus the few nights a year that a cluster of college brats stumble in and think this is a good location to thrash, they usually see me and realize they'd be better off moving along. Saves us from paying the extra scratch for a bouncer."

"She's had to bust some heads," the guy taking his smoke break laughed as he rejoined them. "Watched her do it, too - blood was spilled. Scary, _scaaary..._"

"Shut up, Benji."

"I'm serious; it's scary working for lesbians, but at the same time I've never felt safer." When Garabine started glaring at him, Benji held up both hands and backed away, a good-natured grin splitting his features. "Shutting up."

"Good plan," she sighed as he reclaimed the cutting board waiting patiently for him. "Christ, what a nimrod. But we all love him."

"Plus, he can peel and Julienne a potato in under thirty seconds," Accela remarked. "Hard to find talent like that."

As Garabine made her way to man the taps and thereby relieve Dave, who was more than grateful, Accela insisted that Celica sit at the best table in the house and wait, then vanished into the back. Celica did as she was told, impatiently and with indelible excitement. Looking around idly to see what else there was of interest, she spied a hat hanging high up on the wall - a type of cloche. After a long, long moment, she recognized it as one of her own; she couldn't remember for sure, but it was entirely likely she had left it over at Accela's place once upon a time and never retrieved it. As far as she could tell, there wasn't a speck of dust on it, despite its out-of-reach location. It took quite a bit of effort to keep from breaking down in tears before the first course arrived.

Celica made her way through a salad with chopped almonds and cucumbers, a piping-hot chicken dumpling soup, and a main course of sirloin with sides of au gratin potatoes, grilled, seasoned asparagus and mushroom risotto. By this point, she was already full to bursting, but somehow she made more room for the tiny cup of creamy amaretto-flavored gelato that closed out the meal. Only once dessert was brought out did Accela rejoin her at the table.

"So... what did you think?"

"I think it tasted like your cooking," Celica laughed, dropping the spoon into the gelato bowl. There was a tiny scoop of it left in there, but there was no way on earth it was going to fit so she regrettably left the dead soldier behind. "Which is the highest praise I can give it, of course. All those your recipes?"

"I confess that the asparagus is one of Tori's creations," she said with a tiny smirk. "But I wholeheartedly approved. The rest is me, or me and Tori or Kevin bouncing ideas off each other before we come to a final product. With that gelato, I started from scratch; threw out any specific recipe and worked it from the ground up. It's taken me a year to get it to this point, and I still think there's room for improvement; we'll see."

"I'm gonna pop," Celica laughed. "Is there somewhere I can take a nap?"

"Let's go to my office so they can clear the table," she whispered, standing and helping Celica to her feet; she gladly accepted the hand, given the bulging additional weight around her midsection.

The manager's office was surprisingly spacious for a restaurant, though not wastefully so. There was room for one or two extra office chairs in front of the desk, and even a couch along one wall. Certificates of milestones reached and printouts of news articles and reviews by food critics lined the walls, centered around a large, inspirational poster of a kitten; Celica suppressed a guffaw at seeing such a thing there. Her sleepy head demanded she beeline for the couch, but instead she crossed to the desk where Accela was plopping down, leafing through a few papers as her computer screen flickered to life.

"There's me again," Celica said, pointing to a picture frame.

"Yeah," Accela sighed, frown lines creasing at the corners of her mouth as she gazed at it. The captured image of Celica had wild and floppy hair, her arm raised in greeting; it had been a chilly day, she was wearing a heavy coat. The energetic look on her face was goofy, but also endearing in a way. "As soon as we can, I'd like to update this picture."

"Why?"

"Because my brain is too used to feeling sad when I look at it," she said with a quiet smile. "Every day I've been at work for the past two years, I have at one point or another. Even now that I can look at it again and feel happy, it's not without that pang of bittersweet. So it's got to go, as soon as I get a new one. Don't suppose you have a camera on you, huh?"

"Not at the moment," Celica admitted as her heart ached within her chest. Feeling a touch lost, she crossed to the couch and curled up on it, feigning sleep as she reflected on things. Accela really had been struggling to move on with her life - struggling daily, perhaps even minute-to-minute. She felt like a ghost, haunting the life of a friend who was supposed to have dealt with her passing long ago. Had this resurfacing actually been for the best? Maybe, maybe not - but it was beyond too late. Celica had a sneaking suspicion that if she up and disappeared, the heartstricken redhead wouldn't be able to cope with it. Not twice in a lifetime.

o o o

"So what did you think of the place? Tell me honestly."

Celica shrugged as they walked down the moonlit streets, angling toward Accela's building. "It's a great place. Spectacular, even - I still can't believe it's yours."

"Then what's the matter? You seem confused or something."

"Nah." She contemplated a moment, then shrugged again. "I guess... it's silly, but I guess I just assumed you and Integra would still be cops, like before. But you both have these totally different lives now. So, uh, consider my mind blown and all. On the other hand, it makes sense you'd want to get out of that line of work after everything that went down."

Accela nodded, adjusting her purse strap as they waited at the edge of a crosswalk. "You're not wrong there. I mean, for a while I tried, I signed up to work on the newly-reformed City Police Squad; they have an intelligence unit, and I did okay there. But not quite, y'know? It was like... how do I describe it? Like my law enforcement days ended with Special Security Division. Integra, too. I mean, maybe we could have still felt at home if all four of us transferred in, but without you and Sylvia..."

"Yeah," Celica agreed. "I know if it had been me, and I'd lost any two of you guys, I'd probably have rethought my life goals as well. Maybe opened a video game store or something."

"You," Accela laughed, and Celica laughed with her. "Is that what you want to do now?"

"Hell no. If I made video games into a career, I'm sure I'd start hating them. But, well, I'm not too keen on carrying a badge anymore. I dunno."

They were silent for a few seconds as they crossed. "You know... I could use an assistant manager. I've been trying to get by without one, and it hasn't been all that rough since I didn't have much of a life outside the restaurant. But with you back I will, so maybe if we split the workload it can give us both the-"

"You're offering me a job? For serious?"

Accela nodded, eyes twinkling in the light of a dozen streetlamps. "Of course, you can't slack off at this one, so I'll understand if you turn it down to find something more laid-back. Running a business is hard, thankless work. Mostly thankless, anyway; it has its moments."

That did give Celica some pause. Her gut instinct was to leap at the chance to fully integrate her life into Accela's, but she certainly didn't want to be a burden. "Hmm. Yeah, let me get back to you. I just woke up and found my world is upside-down, so I really haven't had much chance to think about what the future has in store. But... thanks. I mean it."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

Along they walked in silence, deeply engrossed in all sorts of thoughts about careers and life goals. They were crossing a footbridge over one of the city's busiest streets when Celica reached out a hand to stop her friend.

"What is it?" Accela asked, turning slightly. "Come on, we've got a ways to-"

"Let me ask you some stuff. And I want you to be brutally honest with me, too."

Accela turned fully to face her, hands clasped upon her purse. "Go on."

"Are you... happy?"

"Of course. I don't get it; what's percolating up there in that head of yours?"

"Were you happy? I mean, with the life you've built up for yourself. Your friends, your restaurant. It feels right for you. Doesn't it?"

"It does," she said with a slight smile. "I've never been happier. It's a much better fit than RUC ever was; looking back on it, I know now that if I hadn't had such good friends, I'd have handed in my resignation long before. Of course, that's if Director Lynx would even have let me go..."

"Yeah," Celica said, grinding her teeth for a moment at the mention of the evil cur's name. "Well that's a positive, at least."

For a moment, Accela waited, but when it became apparent Celica wasn't going to speak again she asked, "So? Is that all? Because it seems like you want to ask something more. Come on, out with it; what's bothering you?"

"Are you sure... you want me back in?"

"What?"

"Are you sure." Celica scratched at her elbow absentmindedly before she realized with a shock that she was scratching metal; there couldn't be an itch there. Resemble parts don't itch. "See, you've got it all figured out, every piece in place. But then I come back and... and I'm afraid I'm going to ruin it. I don't belong in this world anymore, Accela; I'm a relic from the past. You don't need me here, and I don't have any place I'm needed anymore. So why... why was I found and brought back? What's my purpose in existing now?"

"Oh, Celica." Accela sighed, placing a hand on her friend's cheek and holding it there. "Part of me wants to scream at you for talking like this, but on the other hand... I think I understand. A little, anyway. It's normal for you to feel out of place; we all spent a long time feeling that way, after the Blast Fall, and then again when Eunomia and Eirene almost did us in. But we've had five years to adapt, to transform into citizens the new era needs. You haven't. Give it time, you'll get there."

"I just don't know," she whispered, barely audible over the traffic. "You've got everything figured out, and I don't want to be the monkey wrench jamming up the works. And if I came to work for you... it'd be like asking for a handout, using my time lapse as a crutch to avoid some real soul-searching. You don't deserve to deal with that on top of your business."

Accela's fingers curled in and pinched her cheek. "Cut it out. Even if you did use me as a crutch, I'd be honored to bear your weight. You know that. And before you start whining that you don't want me to have to, I counter with this: I'd do it gladly. A billion times over. You are more important to me than a thousand restaurants." Then she smirked. "But if I did hire you and you're no good, I would have to terminate your employment. Or at the very least, demote you. I'm not going to let you languish in a position where all the other workers suffer because of it."

"Gee, no pressure," Celica grumbled, and Accela tittered. "Okay, so you're not dumb, just overly kind and generous. I get it. I knew that, anyway. But on my other point... would I still be the right girl for you? Please, think back to how I was right before Rose first joined RUC and everything went to hell in a handbasket. _That_ Celica - since she's still me, more or less. Is that girl the one for you?"

"Yes." She rubbed the back of her neck as she turned to look out at the cars speeding to and from destinations unknown. "I won't lie, it will be a huge adjustment for both of us; as I'm sure you've seen, I'm not who I was back then, by a long shot. So you've got a whole new Accela to become better acquainted with. And for me... I haven't been anyone's significant other in ages. My whole life will now be entering another transitional stage. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Yeah?" Celica hesitated, an odd form of shame flooding through her despite realizing it wasn't her fault. "Even though I'm a cyborg now? So much of me is Resemble... I don't know how you could stand to touch me."

To her surprise, she got a laugh in response to her brooding. "For Pete's sake, Celica – if I can get over you being a woman, I think I can deal with a few upgraded body parts! Give me some credit, here. Just promise me we will take it slow, like you said, right? I've... shut myself off emotionally since I lost you." Accela's fingers white-knuckled on the railing. "A lot. Integra will testify to that. So, um, I've got to get used to opening back up again. Take down the wall brick by brick. But I'm ready to begin if you are."

Celica nodded. "That sounds nice. Except one part; I don't wanna wait."

"Hm?"

The din of the honking cars and their motors seemed to fade to silence as she watched Celica falling to her knees. At first, she gasped and reached a hand toward her, ready to ask her if she was alright - until she saw her holding out a tiny velvet box, deepest black.

"Time is of the essence," Celica said in a frightened voice, even though she was smiling. "Losing out on the past half-decade is one of those hard-earned lessons you can't ignore. We've squandered enough precious minutes. Let's fix that. I wanna skip ahead to the good stuff."

The hand Accela had reached out with was still hanging there. For a brief second, her fingers twitched toward the box, but then she turned her eyes back to Celica's, seeing the apprehension in the chocolate orbs. "What's... I'm not sure what you're trying to say."

"I'm trying to ask you to marry me, you dork. And everybody said you were the _smart_ one."

Seconds passed. Accela's mouth was open a tiny sliver as she concentrated on the box, as if willing it to speak further, to elaborate on these events so she could better understand. And it did; Celica used her other hand to flip it open, revealing a glittering green gemstone set in a gold band. It was modest and tasteful, though by no means lackluster. This seemed to snap her out of it.

"Oh my gosh," Accela breathed in a rush as her mind started to filter through the words and interpret some of their meanings, connecting them to the ceremonial jewelry. "W-wait... really? Me marry you? I mean, you want me to?"

"I did mention that, right?" Celica asked with an exaggerated look of confusion, frowning playfully. "Somebody rewind the audio feed, I want to make sure I didn't say something different."

"B-but- but you were the one who said- that we should reconnect b-before-"

"Screw it. I may not know what I want out of the rest of my life, Accela, but there's a part that's completely indisputable to me. We can play catch-up for the rest of our lives, starting now. If you still feel the same way about me that you did before, then it's pointless to beat around the bush. I'm not gonna miss my chance like I did back then, not when there's no reason I should. This is what I want. _YOU_ are what I want."

"Celica..."

Passerby were staring. Some of them had uncomfortable or outraged looks, seeing two women behaving this way, but others smiled, and a few couples held each other's hands, touched at the display of pure, unadulterated romance unfolding in such a public location. A flamboyantly-dressed man with a beret perched jauntily on his crown called out, "_The word you're looking for is 'yes', girlfriend!"_ Several onlookers laughed.

"You heard the man," Celica goaded, trying not to grin.

"Ohh, I hate you for putting me on the spot like this," Accela whined, fidgeting as her cheeks nearly exploded with color. "You're a real piece of work, Celica Yayoi."

"As are you, Accela Warrick. Now let's put our pieces together and make a complete set. You game?"

The thumping of Celica's heart - which she was sure could be heard by everyone gathered - kept time. Five seconds. Ten. They were up to sixteen when she saw Accela nod, an imperceptible movement no more than a few millimetres down, then back up.

"What's that? Sorry, but we've had this talk about body language not being a viable form of consent, especially when-"

_"YES, YOU IDIOT!"_ she shouted, launching herself into Celica's arms. Only due to her Proceed ability was she able to not only catch her fiancée and keep them from bashing their heads against the concrete, but also hang onto the ring lest it tumble to the frenzied roadway below.

"Are you sure?" Celica gasped, stunned that all had gone according to plan. "Really, really sure? I mean, you can take this all back later if-"

"Yes means yes!" Accela laughed gaily, tears of happiness welling up and falling onto Celica's cheeks. "And I mean it, I mean it like I've never meant anything before! My best bud and I! My tall, dark, handsome... oh...!"

And then she was crying too hard to articulate any further. Vaguely, Celica knew the gathered crowd were clapping and cheering, and she caught a few wolf whistles, but she didn't care. It was their moment. Let them celebrate it if they chose to; the world should be celebrating.

"Here," Celica whispered as she suddenly realized there was one thing left to do; she withdrew the engagement ring from its box and held it out. Accela raised up so it could be slipped onto her trembling finger, after which she gazed at it, transfixed. When she was through admiring the item she knew she wouldn't be removing for quite a while, she planted such a kiss on Celica that not only did the wolf whistles rise in volume, but they started hearing them from yet further away; they were putting on a great show.

"We are going straight back to my place so I can... thank you properly," Accela told her wetly as they stood, smiling blearily as she swiped at her face to clear it of excess saline. "And because too many people are here. You ready?"

"Congrats," said the man in the beret as he passed. "You two are adorable! Let me know when you set a date, I'd love to play for you."

Accela sniffled as she turned to him. "Play? What do you mean?"

"I'm a piano man," he said, waggling his especially-long fingers. "Unless you wanted to go with strings; then I can't help you."

"Actually, if you're interested, I could use another pianist at my restaurant. Stop by Celly's if you're shopping around - and that way we can put you on the guest list."

"Splendid!" With a courteous bow, he flitted away, calling, "_Au revoir et félicitations!"_ over his shoulder.

"God, we have a guest list already," Celica laughed as they resumed their walk, arm in arm. "Life sure doesn't stop for nobody."

Accela was still flushed; her hue wasn't likely to return to normal for the rest of the night. "Should we call Integra? Oh, and I bet Rita would want to know, she'll be thrilled to death! There's so much to do - _cakes!_ Bridesmaids, wedding dresses! Or, well, should I be wearing a dress? I will - and you can wear whatever tickles your fancy, dress or suit or-"

"Take it easy!" Celica cackled, beyond amused. "We've got tons of time to plan this hoedown. All the time in the world. And _no,_ I will not wear a suit! God, I thought we agreed I _wasn't_ the boy!"

"You're right, of course. But I bet you'd look dashing in a red, double-breasted tuxedo..."

"Shut your pie hole," Celica said, fighting down a slight rouge. Even though she was grinning. "And I don't think it's wise to use terms like 'double-breasted' when talking about a lesbian wedding. Gives off a different kind of mental image, y'know?"

_"AHH,_ I cannot believe how happy you just made me!" Accela crowed, running ahead a few steps and spinning on the spot, head thrown back and gazing up at the Aurora Shell. "I'm getting married to my best friend! We're going to be together forever!"

"And ever." Celica dashed forward and grabbed her around the waist, twirling her around and ignoring her shriek of mingling surprise and delight. "All mine! You're _really_ stuck with me, now."

Just after she alighted on the ground once more, Accela looked up breathlessly into her lover's face, abuzz with excitement. "Did you ever think we'd be here? RUC gone, no more donning the Proceed suits, restauranteurs, tying the knot? It's like a drunken daydream of the sweetest kind! God, what would my mother say?"

"She'd better say, 'Well done, daughter of mine. That Yayoi's a fine catch – where should we mail the dowry?'"

Accela couldn't suppress a snort. "Don't be so full of yourself, sweetheart. But I'd have to agree with her; you really are. Even when you're a little bit psycho." Then, with a conspiratorial glint in her eye, she said, "Race you home."

"Oh, you are _SO_ on!"

Gales of laughter floated along behind the two best friends as they sped through downtown, ducking and dodging and ruining Celica's fine dress, and none of it bothered them. It was as if they were both phantoms or spirits, passing through and around all objects and worries and troubles - intangible, unstoppable.

Inseparable.

o o o The End o o o


End file.
